The United States and Iran exchanged fire on Thursday in the most serious test yet of their month-long ceasefire, although Iran later said the situation had returned to normal while the US stated it did not want to escalate the conflict.
The renewed hostilities erupted as Washington awaited Iran’s response to a US proposal aimed at stopping the fighting, but leaving major disputes unresolved for now, including Iran’s nuclear programme.
According to Iran’s military, the US targeted two ships entering the Strait of Hormuz and also carried out strikes on Iranian territory. In response, the US military said it fired back after Iranian attacks.
US President Donald Trump told reporters the ceasefire was still in effect and tried to downplay the confrontation. “They trifled with us today. We blew them away,” Trump said while inspecting renovations to the Lincoln Memorial’s reflecting pool in Washington.
Meanwhile, Iran’s top joint military command accused the US of violating the ceasefire by targeting an Iranian oil tanker and another vessel, as well as conducting airstrikes on civilian areas in Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz and coastal regions of Bandar Khamir and Sirik on the mainland. It said Iranian forces responded by striking US military vessels east of the strait and south of the port of Chabahar.
A spokesperson for Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters claimed the Iranian strikes caused “significant damage,” but the US Central Command (Centcom) said none of its assets were hit.
Centcom said Iran had launched missiles, drones and small boats targeting three US Navy destroyers. In response, the US said it struck missile and drone sites and other locations linked to the attacks.
The US military said, “Centcom does not seek escalation but remains positioned and ready to protect American forces.”
Iran also warned it would retaliate if attacked further, saying, “The US and its allies must know that Iran will respond forcefully and without the slightest hesitation to any act of aggression or attack,” according to a military spokesperson quoted by state television.
Later, Iran’s Press TV reported that after several hours of exchanges, “the situation on Iranian islands and coastal cities by the Strait of Hormuz is back to normal now.”
The two sides have occasionally exchanged fire since the ceasefire came into effect on April 7.
Earlier in the week, the US military said it destroyed six Iranian small boats and intercepted cruise missiles and drones as Tehran attempted to disrupt a US naval effort to secure shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump urges negotiated end to war
Trump suggested that diplomatic talks with Tehran were still ongoing despite the latest clashes, telling reporters, “We’re negotiating with the Iranians.”
Before the recent exchange, Washington had proposed a deal to formally end the conflict but it did not address key US demands, including Iran suspending its nuclear programme and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, which previously handled around one-fifth of global oil and gas shipments. Iran said it had not yet decided on the proposal.
Trump also claimed Iran had accepted his position that it must never obtain nuclear weapons, which he said was included in the US proposal. “There’s zero chance. And they know that, and they’ve agreed to that. Let’s see if they are willing to sign it,” he said.
When asked about the timeline for a potential agreement, Trump said, “It might not happen, but it could happen any day. I believe they want to deal more than I do.”
In another remark regarding “Project Freedom,” Trump said that Pakistan had asked the US not to proceed. He praised Pakistani leadership, saying, “Pakistan has been fantastic. Their leaders have been fantastic; the field marshal and the prime minister.”
“We’ll go back to it if we have to. They asked us not to do it during the negotiations,” he added.