US Strikes Iran After Cargo Ship Drone Attack, Ceasefire Under Strain

The US struck missile and drone sites and coastal radar installations in Iran on Friday.

The strucks came after a drone attack the day before on a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz, the most serious test yet of the interim ceasefire agreement the two countries signed just one week ago.

US Central Command announced the military action on social media, also released a video of the strikes:

Trump replied when reporters asked whether Iran would face consequences for the drone attack: "You'll find out."

Shortly before the strikes were launched, he told reporters at the White House: "I don't like the fact that they took a shot yesterday, actually four of them."

"Violence Will Be Met With Violence"

Vice President JD Vance said on social media Friday evening: "Iran signed a ceasefire agreement. We have honored it. If they have disagreements about how the MOU is being applied, they can pick up the phone. But violence will be met with violence," he said.

Iran's response came from Ebrahim Azizi, who heads the Iranian parliament's national security commission on X, saying that the “failed US president” has no commitment to the ceasefire:

What Triggered the Strike

The drone attack on Thursday struck the Evergreen vessel Ever Lovely near the coast of Oman while it was travelling on a UN-backed route through the strait.

The ship sustained damage to its bridge windows but the crew and cargo were unharmed.

The attack came hours after Iran's Revolutionary Guard had warned vessels against using any route not approved by Tehran, and shortly after the UN's International Maritime Organization had launched a voluntary evacuation operation for ships stranded in the Gulf since the war began February 28.

The IMO halted evacuations immediately after the attack.

On Friday, Secretary General Arsenio Dominguez said they would not resume until safety guarantees were in place.

Around 115 ships had made it out in recent days, leaving approximately 500 still in the area.

Shipping analysts said the strike cast a shadow over what had been a cautious recovery.

"A week of widening commercial confidence in the Strait of Hormuz has hit its first significant test," marine data company Windward wrote on X.

Wednesday had seen 78 vessel transits through the strait, the highest since the war began, though still well below the pre-war daily average of 130 or more.

A Deal Under Pressure From All Sides

The US-Iran MOU, signed last week in Switzerland, gives both sides 60 days to negotiate a permanent agreement covering Iran's nuclear program, sanctions relief, and control of the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran has asserted sovereign rights over the waterway and established a new Persian Gulf Strait Authority requiring ships to register with Tehran before transit, a condition Western insurers and shipping companies have refused to accept.

The strikes Friday raise immediate questions about whether the 60-day framework can survive, and whether the US has the leverage to bring both Iran and Israel into compliance with an agreement neither has fully accepted.