Iran launched drone strikes on Bahrain today, also hitting a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, as retaliation for a U.S. airstrike targeting Iranian drone and missile storage facilities along its coastline.
The leader of the Iranian Parliament warned Gulf nations that they should not have placed themselves under U.S. protection.
“Violence will be met with violence,” Vice President JD Vance stated yesterday.
Sea routes near Oman are expanding to permit increased traffic exiting the Persian Gulf.
Bahrain reported that a number of Iranian drones targeted its territory, which it described as a “flagrant threat to the security of citizens and residents.”
A report indicated that the strikes in Bahrain hit U.S. military bases.
United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations confirmed an incident in the Gulf, noting that the master of a tanker reported being struck by an unidentified projectile. The vessel sustained damage to its bridge; all crew are reported safe. No environmental damage has been reported at present. Vessels are advised to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity to UKMTO as authorities investigate.
U.S. Central Command stated that Iran targeted the Singapore-flagged cargo ship M/V Ever Lovely with a “one-way attack drone,” which prompted the retaliatory strike on Iranian coastal military facilities. The incident occurred while the Singapore-flagged cargo ship was exiting the Strait of Hormuz along the Omani coast.
The unwarranted aggression against commercial shipping by Iranian forces clearly violated the ceasefire. Furthermore, Iran’s actions undermined freedom of navigation as commerce increasingly flows through the vital international trade corridor.
“Once again, America has attacked Iran in the midst of negotiations,” parliament leader Ebrahim Azizi stated on social media.
The failed U.S. president has once again proven that he has no commitment to the principles of negotiation and ceasefire.
This reckless violation of the ceasefire by America will, as always, lead to their retreat and regret.
President Trump claimed Iran “shot at least four One Way Attack Drones at Ships transversing [sic] the Strait of Hormuz.” Only one hit its target. The Navy shot down the other three.
“Obviously, this is a foolish violation of our Ceasefire Agreement,” Trump stated.
Over U.S. Central Command’s report, Vice President JD Vance also wrote that Iran violated the ceasefire contained in the memorandum of understanding signed last week.
“Iran signed a ceasefire agreement,” Vance said.
“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.
Earlier yesterday, Azizi told the Gulf Cooperation Council nations — Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) — that placing themselves under U.S. protection was imprudent.
“Warning for GCC leaders: outsourcing your security has made you less secure,” he stated on social media.
He added that U.S. military bases in their countries have turned into sources of threat instead of providing security.
“Our missile and drone power, as well as the management of the Strait of Hormuz, are Iran’s serious red lines.”
“The only reliable path to regional security is to distance yourselves from the U.S.”
Former U.S. counterterrorism chief Joe Kent confirmed Azizi’s opinion.
“Our bases in the Middle East are strategic liabilities not strategic assets,” he stated.
Less bases = less targets for Iran to shoot at and that = less leverage for Iran.
The renewed fighting clearly trespasses the first point in the 14-point memorandum of understanding signed by Trump and Iran on June 17.
The agreement states: “The two sides declare the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon, and undertake from now on not to initiate any war or any military operation against each other, and to refrain from the threat or use of force against each other, and ensure the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Lebanon.”
Israel immediately stated it will not abide by the MOU and will not leave conquered territories in Lebanon. Nor will it abandon Gaza or Syria. Israel wants those territories as part of Greater Israel, which envisions the entire Middle East from the Nile River to the Euphrates as part of the country.
U.S. intelligence officials have concluded that Israel will do everything in its power to sink any U.S.-Iran peace deal.