The United States and Iran have agreed to “stand down” following a weekend of tit-for-tat strikes that threatened to unravel the fragile ceasefire signed less than two weeks ago, according to a US official who spoke to the BBC’s US partner CBS News. Vessels will now be able to move “freely” through the Strait of Hormuz, the official said, adding that renewed talks aimed at ending the war will continue. Iran has not commented on the reports.
The violence erupted on Thursday when an Iranian projectile hit a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz. The US retaliated with a series of strikes, with US Central Command saying it hit multiple targets across Iran in direct response to “continued aggression” against commercial shipping. In a statement, Centcom said: “Iran was given a chance to honour the ceasefire agreement but elected not to when its forces launched a one-way attack drone that hit MT Kiku,” a Panama-flagged tanker. US fighter jets conducted strikes on 10 Iranian military targets, including military equipment, communication systems, air defence sites and drone storage facilities.
“US and Iran agree to stand down after exchanging strikes, but ceasefire fragile amid mutual accusations.”
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps responded by launching ballistic missiles and drones at “eight key pieces of infrastructure” at the Ali al-Salem base in Kuwait and the Fifth Naval Fleet in Port Salman, Bahrain, claiming to have “destroyed them”. A US official told Reuters there were no reported US casualties or major damage to US facilities in the Middle East. The IRGC warned that “any potential enemy aggression, under any pretext, even if the aggressions are against minor targets, as happened last night and tonight, will have a crushing response”. The Iranian Foreign Ministry condemned the “brutal attacks” as a violation of the ceasefire, adding that the US “does not place the slightest value and credibility on its commitments, and breaking promises is part of its nature”.
The ceasefire, a 14-point Memorandum of Understanding signed on 17 June, included an “immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts” and an Iranian pledge to use its “best efforts for the safe passage of commercial vessels with no charge for 60 days”. But the accord was already under strain, with Iran insisting it still controls the waterway under the terms of the deal. The renewed violence was sparked by Iran attacking a ship passing through the Strait on the Omani side as part of a UN-backed evacuation operation, according to Channel 4 News.
Meanwhile, the wider regional picture remains volatile. The US mediated a framework agreement between Israel and Lebanon aimed at paving the way to a lasting peace, but Hezbollah’s leader rejected it, and the Israeli army struck a 200-metre-long tunnel used by the group in southern Lebanon, which it said contained hundreds of weapons. The US was informed ahead of the attack, according to a statement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz. Tehran says hostilities in Lebanon must stop for a wider ceasefire deal to stick.
Shortly after the latest US strikes, President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social: “It is very possible that they will never learn! There may come a point when we are no longer able to be reasonable, and will be forced to militarily complete the job that we very successfully started. If that happens, the Islamic Republic of Iran will no longer exist!”