Tensions between the United States and Iran escalated sharply on Saturday as Iran announced it had struck targets connected to American forces, calling the action a response to what it described as U.S. airstrikes on its southern coastline. Both countries continue to blame each other for breaking a ceasefire agreement that was reached just last week, aimed at ending a four-month conflict.
Iran’s foreign ministry declined to reveal the specific locations of what it called “defensive” strikes, but said the attacks were a direct answer to what it characterized as “the barbaric air strikes” carried out by the U.S. against coastal surveillance facilities. Iran also claimed the American strikes violated the United Nations Charter.
Shortly after, Bahrain — which serves as the home base for the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet — announced it had been targeted by an Iranian drone attack. Bahraini officials called the incident a blatant violation of the country’s sovereignty and a direct threat to its security, stating the nation reserves the right to protect itself.
The White House did not immediately issue a response to Iran’s claims of hitting American-linked targets — a strategy Iran has used during the conflict in an effort to weaken U.S. allies across the region.
U.S. military officials said their Friday airstrikes were carried out in response to an Iranian drone attack on a cargo vessel traveling through the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway that plays a critical role in global energy supplies.
In a separate but related development, Israel and Lebanon reached an agreement to halt fighting between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah. Both parties described the deal as a first step, which would require Hezbollah to disarm and Israel to pull its troops out of Lebanon. However, questions remain about how the agreement would be enforced, and Hezbollah stated it would not cooperate.
Iranian state television reported that the country’s Revolutionary Guards delivered what it called “a decisive response” after U.S. forces struck a communications tower in the port city of Sirik. Iran’s Mehr news agency reported the port was functioning normally, with no damage to facilities or equipment.
Bahrain said Iran’s ongoing attacks, despite efforts by regional and international parties to reduce tensions, were threatening peace and stability in the area. Officials also accused Tehran of violating U.N. Security Council Resolution 2817 and the June 17 Islamabad memorandum of understanding.
Following a Thursday strike on a cargo ship near Oman’s coast — which Iran did not claim responsibility for — Tehran asserted its authority over shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran stated that vessels must follow routes designated by Tehran, warned Gulf nations against aligning with Washington, and claimed that a recent interim agreement with the U.S. granted it control over ship traffic through the strategically vital waterway.
Ebrahim Azizi, who leads the Iranian parliament’s national security committee, said Saturday that any ship failing to follow Iran’s directions through the strait would face a decisive reaction.
U.S. Central Command called Iran’s Thursday strike “unwarranted aggression against commercial shipping” and said the U.S. would continue providing “safe passage coordination and support” to commercial vessels moving through the strait — which serves as the conduit for one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas supplies, before the U.S. and Israel launched the war on February 28.
Vice President JD Vance, who was once considered skeptical of U.S. military involvement in Iran but has since become a key point of contact for President Donald Trump on the conflict, insisted that the United States has upheld its side of the ceasefire deal.
“Iran signed a ceasefire agreement. 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,” Vance posted on X.
Before the latest round of violence broke out, oil prices dropped roughly 3% on Friday, putting them on pace for significant weekly losses as oil tankers have been leaving the Strait of Hormuz. However, Saudi Aramco resumed crude oil loading at its Ras Tanura terminal — the world’s largest oil port — after a nearly four-month stoppage, according to shipping data. Fertilizer shipments through the strait have also picked back up, helping to ease fears of a spike in global food prices.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, wrapping up a tour of Gulf nations to reassure regional partners about the interim agreement, joined with the Gulf Cooperation Council in issuing a statement calling for “free, unconditional, and unrestricted navigation” through the strait, with no tolls or efforts to assert control over it.
Iran’s foreign ministry countered that the strait should be governed jointly by Iran and Oman. Meanwhile, Ali Akbar Velayati, a top adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, warned U.S. allies in the Gulf that their continued survival depended on Tehran’s goodwill.
