Trump Accuses Iran Of Strait Of Hormuz Cargo Ship Attack, Calls It ‘Foolish Violation Of Ceasefire’
Trump says the attack breached the ceasefire deal as tensions grow over shipping routes through Hormuz.
Trump says the attack breached the ceasefire deal as tensions grow over shipping routes through Hormuz.
US President Donald Trump has accused Iran of carrying out an attack on a cargo vessel transiting the Strait of Hormuz, describing the incident as a “foolish violation” of the ceasefire agreement reached between Washington and Tehran last week.
The accusation followed an incident on Thursday in which a cargo ship was struck by what the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), a Royal Navy maritime security agency, described as an “unknown projectile”.
According to UKMTO, the vessel was hit about 7.5 nautical miles, or 14 kilometres, southeast of Dahit, Oman. No casualties or injuries were reported.
The incident occurred despite the memorandum of understanding signed by the US and Iran last week, which formally ended hostilities between the two countries and included measures aimed at restoring safe commercial passage through the strategically important Strait of Hormuz.
Commercial traffic has since resumed through the waterway, but disagreements remain over the routes vessels should use and whether Iran should be permitted to impose tolls or transit fees on ships passing through the strait.
Oman and the International Maritime Organization had proposed a new shipping corridor that would partially bypass waters under Iran’s direct control. However, Tehran rejected the proposal, arguing that it had been announced without consultation with Iranian authorities.
In a post on Truth Social on Friday, Trump said the US military had also intercepted and destroyed three drones.
“Obviously, this is a foolish violation of our Ceasefire Agreement,” Trump wrote.
Iran has neither claimed responsibility for Thursday’s attack nor denied involvement in the incident.
Earlier, Iranian media reported that at least three foreign oil tankers attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz “without authorisation” had turned back after receiving warnings.
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said safe passage through the strait could not be guaranteed through what he described as ambiguous arrangements, parallel routes, or decision making processes that excluded Iran’s interests as the coastal state.
