US strikes Iran after Hormuz drone attack puts fragile ceasefire at risk

Washington,UPDATED: Jun 27, 2026 04:04 IST

The United States struck targets in Iran on Friday, a day after a drone attack on a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz, in what is the biggest test so far of the interim understanding the two countries reached last week to begin ending their months-long war and reopen the key waterway. US President Donald Trump said the drone attack had violated the ceasefire, and the strikes came shortly after he told reporters, "You'll find out," when asked whether the US would respond.

US Central Command said it struck missile and drone locations and coastal radar sites in Iran. The latest developments also unsettled shipping through the strait, where efforts were under way to move stranded vessels through an alternative route near Oman. Elsewhere in the region, Israel and Lebanon announced a framework that they described as a step towards peace after months of conflict involving Israeli troops and Hezbollah.

Shortly before the US action, Trump told reporters at the White House: "I don't like the fact that they took a shot yesterday, actually four of them." Asked why strikes would take place when he had insisted talks with Tehran were going well, Trump said of Iran, "They're a little bit different." He then abruptly ended questions and reporters were ushered out of his office.

Ebrahim Azizi, who heads the Iranian parliament's national security commission, responded to Trump on social media earlier on Friday, saying, "The Strait of Hormuz is governed by Iran, so: Respect the rules" and telling the US to "not mistake control for escalation." He added, "This is not a violation of the ceasefire; it is ceasefire management." A US official with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press that the strikes concluded about an hour after US Central Command announced the military action on social media. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing military operation.

The British military said on Thursday that a container ship was hit by a projectile off the coast of Oman, hours after Iran threatened vessels not to use the route. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre said no injuries were reported. The attack came at a fragile moment for Washington and Tehran as they negotiate a permanent end to the war. Iran has increasingly challenged the region and the US over its control of the Strait of Hormuz, even after reaching the interim deal with the US last week.

The cargo ship was attacked as a United Nations maritime agency was beginning an operation this week to move stranded ships out of the strait by using an alternative route close to Oman's shores instead of the central part of the waterway. The Maritime Organisation halted the evacuations after the attack and said on Friday that they would not resume until there were guarantees that other ships would not be attacked. About 115 ships were able to leave the strait in recent days, but around 500 were still in the area, according to the agency's secretary-general, Arsenio Dominguez. The opening of the alternative passage had been expected to ease pressure on the world economy and reduce Iran's leverage in the ongoing peace talks with the US. Under the interim deal, the two sides have 60 days to work out the details, including shipping through the strait and the future of Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium.

Shipping analysts said the drone strike had cast a shadow over the return of commercial traffic. Marine data company Windward said on X, "A week of widening commercial confidence in the Strait of Hormuz has hit its first significant test." It said that while the strait remained operationally open, with 43 transits recorded after the incident, "the pace of normalisation has slowed." On Wednesday, 78 vessels transited the strait, the highest number since the war began, though still below the pre-war average of 130 or more a day. According to Lloyd's List Intelligence, at least two tankers turned back while trying to pass through the UN-backed route near Oman after Iran insisted that vessels use only Tehran-approved routes. Lloyd's said on Friday that more than two dozen ships were still transiting the strait's southern route after the attack.

In another development, ambassadors from Israel and Lebanon announced an agreement on Friday that they described as a step towards peace after months of conflict between Israeli troops and Hezbollah. Nada Hamadeh, Lebanon's ambassador to the US, said the framework would help in "enabling our people to go back to their land and allowing all Lebanese to live in peace, security, and prosperity." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the plan a "great achievement" for Israel. "The most important thing, first and foremost, is that Israel will remain in the security zone in southern Lebanon," he said, adding that Israeli forces would stay until Hezbollah was disarmed and no longer posed a threat to Israel.

Friday's developments left the US-Iran truce under fresh strain after the strike in the Strait of Hormuz, disrupted efforts to restore shipping through the waterway, and came as Israel and Lebanon announced a separate framework that they said could move their own conflict towards peace.

With PTI Inputs

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