Tehran: Iran on Friday accused the United States of violating the ceasefire between the two sides by targeting Iranian oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman, warning of a “crushing response without the slightest hesitation”.
According to Iranian state media Press TV, a spokesman for Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters stated that “the aggressive, terrorist, and pirate US military” targeted an Iranian oil tanker travelling from Iran’s coastal waters near Jask, a port in Southern Iran, toward the Strait of Hormuz, as well as another vessel entering the Strait near the Emirati port of Fujairah.
He further stated that, with the cooperation of some regional countries, airstrikes were carried out on civilian areas along the coasts of Bandar Khamir, Sirik, and Qeshm Island.
“The aggressive, terrorist, and pirate US military has violated the ceasefire by targeting an Iranian oil tanker travelling from Iran’s coastal waters near Jask toward the Strait of Hormuz, as well as another vessel entering the Strait of Hormuz near the Emirati port of Fujairah,” the spokesperson said as quoted by Press TV.
“At the same time, with the cooperation of some regional countries, they carried out air attacks on civilian areas along the coasts of Bandar Khamir, Sirik, and Qeshm Island,” it added.
This comes after the US Naval Forces fired on an Iranian-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman as part of its ongoing naval blockade against the Islamic Republic, claiming that the vessel failed to comply with the instructions from the American forces in the region.
According to a statement released by US Central Command (CENTCOM) on Wednesday, US forces acted after the vessel, identified as M/T Hasna, did not comply despite repeated warnings while transiting international waters toward an Iranian port.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, Fox News Chief National Security Correspondent Jennifer Griffin, citing a senior US official, stated that the US military conducted strikes on Qeshm port and Bandar Abbas in southern Iran following reports of multiple explosions near the strategically vital maritime corridors of the Islamic Republic.
In a series of posts on X, the Fox News correspondent stated that the senior US official confirmed the strikes took place “moments ago” but stressed that the operation does not signal a return to full-scale conflict in West Asia or the end of the existing ceasefire arrangement.
The spokesman for the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, which is Iran’s highest operational command unit that coordinates operations between the Army and the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), further stated that the Iranian armed forces responded immediately by striking US military vessels located east of the Strait of Hormuz and south of the port of Chabahar, reportedly inflicting significant damage.
“The Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran immediately responded by attacking US military vessels east of the Strait of Hormuz and south of Chabahar,” the spokesman was quoted as saying.
The statement also warned that Iran would respond forcefully to any further escalation.
“The criminal and aggressive America and its supporting countries should know that the Islamic Republic of Iran, as powerful as in the past, will give a crushing response to any aggression without the slightest hesitation,” it added.
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