Tehran, Iran. A tanker was struck by a projectile in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, Britain’s maritime security agency said, amid a sharp escalation between the United States and Iran after both sides launched strikes and accused each other of breaching an interim peace deal.
Shipping incident in the strait
Britain’s UKMTO maritime security agency said the tanker sustained damage to its bridge and that all crew were reported safe. The Joint Maritime Information Center, run by a coalition of navies protecting shipping, said it had raised its security threat level following recent incidents.
Saturday’s attack followed another strike on a cargo ship on Thursday, which triggered the latest escalation. Iran has made a fresh bid to assert control over the Strait of Hormuz, a key global energy shipping route that has begun to reopen over the past two weeks after months of disruption.
U.S. and Iran exchange accusations
The United States and Iran each accused the other of violating the agreement reached two weeks ago to end the four-month-old conflict. Washington said it struck Iranian targets overnight, while Iran said it hit targets linked to U.S. forces on Saturday in response.
Iran has not directly commented on reports of specific attacks on ships. Iranian state television said the Revolutionary Guards had fired “warning shots” toward unspecified vessels attempting to pass through channels not approved by Iran, adding that other ships were now seeking Iranian permits before attempting to cross the strait.
Regional fallout
Iran’s foreign ministry said it had launched “defensive” attacks on U.S.-linked military targets. Bahrain, which hosts the U.S. Navy’s regional headquarters, reported an Iranian drone attack. The U.S. military did not immediately respond to the reports.
Iran has accused the United States of failing to uphold the interim agreement, particularly by not sustaining a promised ceasefire in Lebanon, which U.S. ally Israel invaded in March in pursuit of the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.
Lebanon fighting continues
Israel and Lebanon have repeatedly agreed U.S.-brokered ceasefires, with the latest announced on Friday. However, these have had limited overall impact, with Israel saying it will not withdraw from territory it has seized and Hezbollah rejecting calls to disarm while Israeli troops remain in place.
Lebanese state television reported an Israeli drone strike on Saturday in the Nabatiyeh area in southern Lebanon, which has been hit throughout the conflict. The Israeli military said it had targeted a person who posed a threat to its forces.
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem rejected the day-old Israel-Lebanon agreement as surrender and said it was “null and void”.