The U.S. military launched strikes against Iran on Friday in response to an Iranian drone attack targeting a commercial vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, raising doubts about the future of the temporary peace agreement recently reached between the two countries.
The U.S. Central Command announced that aircraft struck Iranian missile and drone storage facilities, as well as coastal radar sites. Iranian media reported that a projectile landed near a maritime pier in the southern Iranian city of Sirik.
Meanwhile, progress was reported on another front, as Israel and Lebanon signed a framework agreement aimed at ending hostilities between Israel and the Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah. However, both sides described the agreement as only an initial step, calling for Hezbollah’s disarmament and Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon. The mechanism for implementing the agreement remains unclear, and Hezbollah stated that it would not cooperate.
Iran Warns Gulf States
Tehran reaffirmed its claim of authority over the Strait of Hormuz and warned Gulf states against aligning with Washington following Thursday’s attack on a cargo ship off the coast of Oman. President Donald Trump blamed Iran for the attack, calling it a violation of last week’s agreement.
Iran had previously condemned what it described as an “interventionist, irresponsible, and provocative” statement issued by the United States and six Gulf countries rejecting Iran’s insistence on imposing fees on vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi wrote on X that safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz could not be guaranteed under “ambiguous arrangements, alternative routes, or decisions that fail to recognize Iran’s role as a littoral state.”
Iranian state television reported that three foreign tankers attempted what it described as an “unauthorized transit” through the strait and were turned back after receiving warnings from Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps. No further details were provided.
Oil Prices Decline
Oil prices fell by about 3% on Friday and were headed for sharp weekly losses despite differing interpretations of last week’s temporary agreement between Iran and the United States, as well as renewed concerns about shipping through the strait, which normally carries around one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas supplies.
Shipping data showed that Saudi oil giant Saudi Aramco resumed crude oil loading operations at its Ras Tanura terminal in the Gulf—the world’s largest oil export port—after a suspension lasting nearly four months.
Fertilizer shipments through the strait also resumed, helping ease concerns about rising global food prices.
At the conclusion of a Gulf tour intended to reassure regional allies about the temporary agreement, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a joint statement with the Gulf Cooperation Council calling for “unconditional and unrestricted freedom of navigation” and opposing attempts to impose control over maritime traffic.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry stated that management of the Strait of Hormuz should be shared between Iran and Oman, while Ali Akbar Velayati warned Gulf states aligned with Washington that their “strategic survival depends on Tehran’s tolerance.”
Source: Reuters
