U.S. strikes Iran after drone attack on cargo ship

The U.S. military struck targets in Iran on Friday after a drone attack hit a Singapore-flagged cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz, a clash that President Donald Trump called a “foolish violation” of a newly signed ceasefire agreement.

U.S. Central Command said an American aircraft hit Iranian missile and drone storage locations and coastal radar sites. In a statement, the command described the strikes as a “powerful response” to what it called Iran’s “dangerous behavior” and said the attack on commercial shipping had breached the ceasefire.

“The unwarranted aggression against commercial shipping by Iranian forces clearly violated the ceasefire,” Central Command said. “Furthermore, Iran’s dangerous behavior undermined freedom of navigation as commerce increasingly flows through the vital international trade corridor.”

Trump said on Truth Social that Iran fired at least four drones at ships traveling through the strait on Thursday. One drone hit the upper deck of a cargo-carrying ship, while U.S. forces knocked down three others, he said.

“One of the Drones solidly hit the upper deck of a large and very expensive Cargo Carrying Ship. Damage was done, but the Ship was able to proceed on its way,” Trump wrote. “Obviously, this is a foolish violation of our Ceasefire Agreement.”

Central Command identified the vessel as the M/V Ever Lovely, a Singapore-flagged cargo ship that was exiting the Strait of Hormuz along the Omani coast. Al Jazeera reported that the ship is owned by Taiwan-based Evergreen Marine and had been stranded in the Gulf for more than 100 days after loading cargo in Iraq. No crew members were injured, and the ship was able to continue its voyage, Al Jazeera reported.

Iran has not claimed responsibility for the attack. Al Jazeera reported that two U.S. officials told Reuters, on condition of anonymity, that Iran fired on the ship. The British military said a vessel was hit by a projectile off Oman on Thursday, according to Al Jazeera.

The strike tested a ceasefire agreement signed last week. The deal stipulates that the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway through which some 20% of the world’s oil passed before the war, will reopen and that Iran will allow commercial vessels safe passage without charge for 60 days.

Al Jazeera reported that the United States and Iran are negotiating an interim peace deal under a 60-day memorandum of understanding in which both sides agreed to lift naval blockades and open the strait to free passage while negotiators work toward a longer-term deal on Iran’s nuclear program and sanctions relief.

The Ever Lovely had chosen a southern route along the Omani coast rather than corridors designated by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which hours earlier had directed commercial vessels to coordinate directly with the Iranian Navy, Al Jazeera reported. The attack immediately halted International Maritime Organization efforts to escort hundreds of stranded vessels out of the Gulf, where more than 11,000 seafarers have been trapped for months, according to Al Jazeera.

Iranian officials have disputed U.S. and Gulf state positions on the strait. Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi wrote on X that “safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz cannot be guaranteed under ambiguous arrangements, parallel routes or decision-making that does not take Iran’s role as a coastal state into account.”

The IRGC also denied U.S. assertions that a direct communication line had been established between Tehran and Washington regarding the strait. “This is a complete lie and we strongly deny it,” IRGC spokesperson Brigadier General Hossein Mohebbi said in a statement cited by Iran’s official news agency IRNA, according to Al Jazeera. “The Strait of Hormuz is Iranian territory and has no connection to the United States.”

Asked earlier Friday whether Iran could face consequences for allegedly violating the ceasefire, Trump told reporters at the White House, “You’ll find out.” He added, “I don’t like the fact that they took a shot yesterday. They shouldn’t be doing that. So, you’ll find out.”