Peloni: One point must be made clear while playing witness to this ongoing back and forth drone diplomacy. The only benefit from the American perspective which Trump’s MOU was intended to achieve from the outset was that the Strait of Hormuz was to be open. It is notable that Trump was playing this game of dialogue amid drone attacks before the MOU was signed, and yet, 10 days later, the Strait is still being managed and controlled by Iran, who has only been emboldened by the MOU to now eliminate even Oman’s role in overseeing this essential waterway, all while untold number of vessels still remain held like prisoners in the Persian Gulf by Iran. Vance’s remarks about violence will be met with violence can only be useful if the response is both significant and painful. The minimal attacks raised on Iran in response to breaking the terms of Trump’s deal with Iran, ie attacking shipping, deserves a substantive and meaningful response. Iran does not respect Trump’s or Vance’s bluster. Painful attacks on high valued targets inside Iran should be the preferred strategy at this moment.
Update: Iran fires drones at Bahrain
Aircrafts, attached to Carrier Air Wing 9 (CVW9) fly over the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Daniel Kimmelman)
United States military strikes were launched in retaliation against Iran on Friday.
President Donald Trump said the Islamic Republic targeted a cargo ship with drones while transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
U.S. Central Command announced the strikes shortly after the president teased reporters that they would “find out” if the military would respond. Trump called the attack on a Singapore-flagged ship a violation of the ceasefire.
A CENTCOM statement Friday afternoon said, “U.S. aircraft struck Iranian missile and drone storage locations and coastal radar sites after Iran hit M/V Ever Lovely on June 25 with a one-way attack drone. The Singapore-flagged cargo ship was exiting the Strait of Hormuz along the Omani coast at the time of Iran’s attack.
“The unwarranted aggression against commercial shipping by Iranian forces clearly violated the ceasefire. Furthermore, Iran’s dangerous behavior undermined freedom of navigation as commerce increasingly flows through the vital international trade corridor.”
Shortly before the strike was announced, the president while in the Oval Office was asked if he “considered the ceasefire still in place?”
“I don’t like the fact that they took a shot yesterday,” he responded. “Actually, four, we knocked down three at a ship, not an allied ship, but a ship, a very expensive ship and it was fine, but it took a little beating. They shouldn’t be doing that. So, you’ll find out.”
Two weeks ago, the U.S. and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding to enter a 60-day ceasefire.
Earlier Friday, the president accused Iran of attacking a cargo ship with “at least four one-way attack drones as ships transversing the Strait of Hormuz.” Trump added that one of the drones successfully hit the upper deck of a large and “expensive” cargo ship.
“Damage was done, but the ship was able to proceed on its way,” Trump wrote on social media. “We knocked down three other drones. Obviously, this is a foolish violation of our ceasefire agreement.”
Shortly before the attack on the cargo ship, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard issued a warning to ships that they must transit through an Iranian-approved channel.
The International Maritime Organization, which had announced the evacuation of ships through the Strait of Hormuz, has since announced a pause on the operations.
The fifth article of the 14-point MOU stated that the “Islamic Republic of Iran will make arrangements using its best efforts for the safe passage of commercial vessels with no charge” through the Strait of Hormuz.
Earlier in the week, the president touted ships carrying a “record” number of barrels of oil through the Strait of Hormuz.
The strait has been a source of contention with Iran after it effectively closed the vital waterway following the coordinated strikes of America and Israel that began Feb. 28.
As part of the MOU, the U.S. agreed to lift its naval blockade on Iranian ports, which the Trump administration estimated was costing the Islamic Republic between $400 million and $500 million a day in economic losses.
The Trump administration has requested $87.6 billion from Congress to cover the costs of the conflict, including more than $70 billion for military expenses, according to a White House supplemental appropriations request.
It seems that some points are missing in the article. The Iranians complained that the USA were not upholding the cease fire. They can say that but they can’t be allowed to let it stick. This is the same kind of chutzpah so often used against Israel that the rest of the world loves to extend in the media. It doesn’t matter why the USA retaliated, only that they fired. The interesting part was that the attacked ship is an Evergreen. Where have we heard that name before, I wonder?
Whatever the case, the Iranians have shown that they can’t be trusted. They have just tried, like pesky children, to stretch the envelope. They may even get a second chance with such a benevolent Trump…
Iran will never comply with any agreement, just get it over with and kill their economy.