Iran and U.S. Exchange Strikes Over Strait of Hormuz Transit

Iran and the United States exchanged strikes over the weekend after two commercial ships were hit while attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz. The incidents mark the first military exchanges since the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding on June 15.

The Singapore-flagged Ever Lovely was struck by a drone on Friday, and the Panama-flagged Kiku was hit on Saturday. The U.S. military's Central Command said it launched strikes in response to continued Iranian aggression against commercial shipping.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it fired ballistic missiles and drones at U.S. forces at Kuwait's Ali Al Salem Air Base and the U.S. Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain.

5 of the memorandum calls for the reopening of the strait and the immediate recommencement of commercial traffic. It requires Iran to make arrangements for safe passage of commercial vessels at no charge for 60 days and to remove technical and military obstacles within 30 days.

The memorandum also states that Iran will conduct dialogue with Oman to define future administration and maritime services in the strait. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the strait remains under Iran's total oversight and management for the next 30 days.

Maritime traffic through the strait fell from 70 transits on Wednesday to 40 on Saturday, according to Windward AI. Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the U.S. strikes as a violation of the United Nations Charter and a breach of the memorandum.

U.S. President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that U.S. forces struck Iranian missile and drone storage locations and coastal radar sites for violating the cease-fire agreement. U.S. Vice President JD Vance said Iran signed a cease-fire agreement that the United States has honoured, adding that violence will be met with violence.