WASHINGTON, United States — The United States and Iran traded military strikes after Washington on Friday accused Tehran of attacking a cargo ship, jeopardizing a fragile ceasefire as diplomats struggle to contain the Middle East war.

 

US Central Command said the American strikes, against Iranian missile and drone storage sites and coastal radar positions, were a response to "unwarranted aggression against commercial shipping by Iranian forces" that "clearly violated the ceasefire."

 

It described the operation as "a powerful response to yesterday's attack on a commercial ship that was transiting the Strait of Hormuz."

 

Iranian state television, citing a reporter in Sirik, said an explosion was heard late Friday at Taherouyeh pier in the southern port city. It quoted an informed military source as saying the blast was caused by a projectile impact in the area.

 

US President Donald Trump had earlier denounced what he described as an Iranian drone strike on the vessel, saying: "Obviously, this is a foolish violation of our ceasefire agreement."

 

Vice President JD Vance issued a direct warning, posting on X that "violence will be met with violence" if Iran carries out any further attacks.

 

Minutes later, on Saturday morning Iran time, state television reported that the Revolutionary Guards said they targeted US sites in the Gulf region in retaliation for the American strikes.

 

"If the aggression is repeated, our response will be broader than this," the Guards said, according to a post by state TV on Telegram.

 

The exchanges raised fresh questions about efforts to keep the Strait of Hormuz open while Washington and Tehran negotiate a final settlement to a war that began February 28 with US and Israeli strikes on Iran.

 

Iran has warned vessels not to enter or leave the Gulf through the strait without permission, but ships have continued to move, some using a route not authorized by Tehran.

 

Around half of the 42 vessels that made the passage Thursday used a non-approved southern route along Oman's coast, according to tracking platform Kpler.

 

The UN maritime agency said an evacuation operation had freed 115 vessels and 2,500 seafarers trapped by the dispute before the attack forced its suspension.

 

Oil prices nevertheless fell sharply, reflecting hopes that traffic through Hormuz -- a strategic waterway which normally sees around a fifth of the world's oil and gas exports -- would keep recovering despite the latest flare-up.

 

Nuclear safeguards

 

Meanwhile the UN nuclear watchdog's chief warned that any final US-Iran settlement would need strong safeguards to ensure Tehran does not build a nuclear weapon.

 

Iran's nuclear program remains a central sticking point, with Tehran and Washington giving conflicting accounts of whether inspectors will regain access to the Islamic republic's facilities.

 

"The government of Iran has declared quite clearly that this is not their intention," International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi said of developing nuclear weapons.

 

"But of course intentions are not enough. We have to have a very strong verification system in place... as soon as is practicable."

 

The interim agreement says Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium -- estimated pre-war at 440 kilogrammess, enriched to 60 per cent -- should be "downblended" under IAEA supervision.