Iran-US war latest: Fresh US strikes on Iran amid warning Tehran had ‘chance to honour the ceasefire agreement’

Watch: US military carries out strikes on Iran

The US said it carried out ⁠further strikes on Iran on Saturday, targeting ​various sites, ⁠including military surveillance infrastructure.

US Central Command said strikes were launched “in ​direct ⁠response to continued ‌Iranian aggression against commercial shipping.”

"After yesterday’s ‌U.S. strikes in response to the ⁠Iranian attack on M/V Ever Lovely [commercial ship], 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 ⁠M/T Kiku this morning," ‌a statement said .

Iran earlier said it had struck targets linked to US forces, as each side continued to accuse the other of violating last week's agreement meant to end the four-month-old war.

Tehran’s foreign ministry did not identify the locations of its "defensive" attacks, which it said were a response to US strikes on its coastal surveillance facilities.

The US military had carried out strikes on Iranian missile and drone storage sites in the wake of Donald Trump accusing the country of a “foolish violation” of the ceasefire agreement, claiming Tehran fired at least four kamikaze drones at ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

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US carries out fresh strikes against Iran after tanker struck in Hormuz, escalating hostilities

The US military said it struck Iran again, hours after a tanker was hit in the Strait of Hormuz, in the worst escalation since the two sides signed an interim peace deal two weeks ago.

Each of the warring sides has accused the other of violating the agreement reached two weeks ago to end the four-month-old conflict.

US Central Command ⁠said on Saturday its forces carried out fresh strikes after a Panama-flagged tanker was attacked by an Iranian drone early on Saturday. In Iran, state broadcaster IRIB said early Sunday local time that explosions were heard in Sirik in southern Iran, without providing further details.

"Iran was given a chance to honour the ceasefire agreement but elected not to," US Central Command said in a statement.

It said the strikes were "in direct response to continued Iranian aggression against commercial shipping" and targeted Iranian military surveillance, communications, air defence, drone storage and mine-laying facilities.

A US defence official later reported that the strikes on Iranian targets were complete, according to Fox News.

Washington said earlier that it ⁠hit Iranian targets overnight. Iran said it responded on Saturday by striking targets linked to US forces.

Saturday's attack ​on a ⁠tanker in the strait followed another on a cargo ship on Thursday that triggered the latest escalation.

Iran has made a fresh bid to assert control over the world's most important energy shipping route, which has begun to reopen after months of disruption.

Britain's UKMTO maritime security agency said the tanker hit on Saturday had sustained damage to its ⁠bridge, with all crew reported safe. The Joint Maritime Information Centre, run by a coalition of navies protecting shipping, raised its security threat level as a result of recent incidents.

Iran has ​not directly commented ⁠on reports of specific attacks on ships.

But Iranian state television reported ‌that the Revolutionary Guards fired "warning shots" toward unspecified vessels attempting to pass through channels not approved by Iran, and that this was now prompting other ships to seek Iranian permits before attempting to cross the strait.

Earlier, Iran's foreign ministry said it launched "defensive" attacks on US-linked military targets, while Bahrain, which hosts the US Navy's regional headquarters, reported an Iranian drone attack.

The US military did not immediately ‌respond to the reports.

Dan Haygarth

'Violence will be met with violence', says Vance

Vice president JD Vance
Vice president JD Vance (Getty)

JD Vance said the US has adhered to the ceasefire deal, also known as a memorandum of understanding.

"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," the vice president ​said on X.

Before the renewed outbreak of violence, oil prices fell about 3 per cent on Friday, on course for steep weekly losses as ‌oil tankers have exited the Strait of Hormuz.

Saudi Aramco resumed crude loadings ⁠at its Ras Tanura terminal in the Gulf, the world's biggest oil port, after a nearly four-month halt, shipping data showed.

Fertilizer shipments through ⁠the strait have also picked up, helping to assuage concerns about a spike in global food prices.

US secretary of state Marco Rubio — wrapping up a tour of the Gulf to reassure regional allies about ‌the interim pact — issued a joint statement with ​the Gulf Cooperation Council calling for "free, unconditional, and unrestricted navigation" in the strait without ‌tolls or "attempts to assert control."

Iran's foreign ministry said the strait should ​be governed by Iran and Oman, while Ali Akbar Velayati, top adviser to Iran's supreme leader, warned Washington's Gulf allies their survival depended on Tehran's tolerance.

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US strikes target multiple sites in Iran

US Central Command said in a statement: “U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces conducted additional strikes against multiple targets in Iran, June 27, at the Commander in Chief’s direction.

“After yesterday’s U.S. strikes in response to the Iranian attack on M/V Ever Lovely, Iran was given a chance to honor the ceasefire agreement but elected not to when its forces launched a one-way attack drone that hit M/T Kiku this morning at 4:30 a.m. ET. The Panama-flagged tanker was transiting near the Strait of Hormuz with more than two-million barrels of crude oil.

“CENTCOM forces launched strikes today in direct response to continued Iranian aggression against commercial shipping. U.S. military aircraft targeted Iranian military surveillance infrastructure, communication systems, air defense sites, drone storage facilities, and minelayer capabilities.

“Commercial vessel transits through the Strait of Hormuz continue. U.S. forces remain vigilant, lethal, and ready.”

Dan Haygarth

US carrying out strikes in Strait of Hormuz area

The ⁠United States ⁠is carrying ​out ⁠strikes ⁠in ​the ⁠area ‌of Strait of ‌Hormuz, ‌Axios reported ⁠on Saturday, citing one US ‌official.

Dan Haygarth

Iran says it hits US-linked targets as Bahrain reports drone attack

Iran said it struck targets linked to US forces on Saturday in response to US airstrikes on its southern coast, as each side continued to accuse the other of violating last week's agreement meant to end the four-month-old war.

Iran's foreign ministry ⁠did not identify the locations of its "defensive" attacks, which it said were a response to "the barbaric air strikes" by the US on its coastal surveillance facilities, which it said also violated the U.N. Charter.

Later, Bahrain, which hosts the US Navy's Fifth Fleet, condemned what it said was an Iranian drone attack on its territory as a flagrant violation of its sovereignty and a threat to its security, adding that it reserved the right to defend itself.

Washington did not immediately respond to Iran's report of striking American targets, a tactic that has sought ⁠to undermine U.S. allies in the region during the conflict.

The US military said its ​strikes ⁠on Friday had been a response to an Iranian drone strike on a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway vital to global energy supplies.

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Israeli drone strike hits southern Lebanon day after security deal

Israel struck southern Lebanon on Saturday, a ⁠day after the two countries signed a US-brokered security arrangement aimed at easing ⁠tensions along ​their ⁠border after months of hostilities.

Lebanon's state news ⁠agency said an Israeli ​drone ⁠struck in Nabatieh al-Fawqa, ‌which lies outside a security zone shown on ‌a map published by ‌Israel of an expanded zone its troops control in ⁠southern Lebanon.

The Israeli military told Reuters it had carried out the strike, using a drone as no Israeli troops were in ‌the immediate area. It said ​it targeted ‌an individual who ⁠posed a threat ⁠to its forces, without providing further ‌details ​or evidence.

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Photos show Ashoura commemorations shaped by war and loss in Lebanon and Iran

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Recap: Tanker struck in Hormuz

A tanker reported being struck by a projectile in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, Britain's maritime security agency said.

Britain's UKMTO maritime security agency said the tanker hit on Saturday had sustained damage to its bridge, with all crew reported safe. The Joint Maritime Information Center, run by ⁠a coalition of navies protecting shipping, said it had raised its security threat level as a result of ​recent incidents.

The UKMTO said: “UKMTO has received a report of an incident within the Strait of Hormuz. The Master of Tanker has reported being struck by an unidentified projectile. The vessel sustained damage to their bridge; all crew are reported safe.

“No environmental damage reported at present. Vessels are advised to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity to UKMTO, authorities are investigating.”

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Hezbollah rejects US-brokered Israel-Lebanon security deal as 'surrender'

Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem rejected a US-brokered security agreement between Lebanon and Israel on Saturday, a day after it was signed, describing it as a surrender to Israel, Reuters reports.

In the ⁠latest example of ongoing hostilities despite repeated ceasefires and agreements, Israel launched a drone strike in Lebanon's south.

More than a million Lebanese have been driven from their homes by a conflict that has run in parallel with the wider Iran war. ⁠Hezbollah and Iran say Washington ​pledged ⁠to end hostilities in Lebanon as part of its memorandum of understanding signed two weeks ago to end the wider war.

The framework ⁠agreed on Friday provides for a phased Israeli withdrawal from some ​parts ⁠of southern Lebanon, alongside the deployment ‌of the Lebanese army. But Israeli forces would be permitted to remain in an expanded security zone for the time being, pending further implementation.

In ‌a statement, Qassem called it "null and void", ‌and accused the Lebanese government of making unilateral concessions and undermining Lebanon's sovereignty.

He criticised provisions linking Israel's withdrawal to Hezbollah's disarmament, saying they effectively legitimised Israel's military presence and crossed "all red ⁠lines".

The group would continue its armed resistance, he added: "We did not leave the battlefield in the most difficult circumstances, and we will not leave it."

Lebanon's state news agency said an Israeli drone struck Nabatieh al-Fawqa on Saturday. The area is outside the security zone shown on a map published by Israel of the territory its troops will continue to control.

The ‌Israeli military told Reuters it had carried out the strike, using ​a drone because it had no troops in the ‌immediate area. It said it targeted ⁠an individual who posed a threat to its forces, without giving ⁠further details or evidence.

Qassem said the Iran-US memorandum of understanding reached earlier this month, ‌which guarantees Lebanon's territorial integrity, ​should serve as the basis ‌for ending the conflict, rather than Friday's ​Washington agreement.

Dan Haygarth

Watch: US military carries out strikes on Iran

Watch: US military carries out strikes on Iran

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