US and Iran exchange fire but Trump says ceasefire still in place

Iran accused the US of violating its ceasefire

Earlier today, Iran accused the US of violating its 7 April ceasefire agreement after explosions rung out in the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran has described today’s flare-up as an “exchange of fire” between Iranian armed forces and the “enemy”:

• Iranian news agencies said that “several explosions” were heard near the Iranian city of Bandar Abbas, with commercial parts of a pier in Qeshm – the largest island in the Gulf – being “targeted”.
• Iran’s top military command alleged the US targeted an Iranian oil tanker moving towards the strait, as well as another vessel entering the strait opposite the Emirati port of Fujaira
• Iran’s armed forces “immediately responded” by attacking US military vessels, inflicting “significant damage”.
• Although explosions were heard in several cities, external, a reporter on Iranian television said “life is moving on as normal”.

The US response:

• US President Donald Trump confirmed that three US naval destroyers in the strait were attacked, but were not damaged.
• He added that “great damage” was done to Iranian “attackers”
• The ceasefire and the US blockade of Iran remain in place, he said. He referred to the exchange of fire as a “love tap” in an interview with ABC News.
• Before Trump’s update, US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that US forces intercepted “unprovoked Iranian attacks” and responded with self-defence strikes as US Navy guided-missile destroyers transited the strait. It added that no US assets were struck.
• “CENTCOM does not seek escalation but remains positioned and ready to protect American forces,” CENTCOM said.

What effect might this have on the ceasefire or escalation?

• “This is a significant flare-up further endangering the four-week-old truce between the US and Iran, but it so far remains unclear who fired first,” writes the BBC’s US State Department correspondent Tom Bateman.
• Trump has said in recent days that the war in Iran will be “over quickly” and has been pushing a 14-point memorandum of understanding with Iran, pushing for it again today.
• A senior member of Iran’s parliament has dismissed the memorandum as a “wish list”, while an Iran foreign ministry spokesman on Wednesday said the latest US proposal was being considered and that Tehran would share its views with Pakistani mediators.

Credit: Caitlin Wilson, Brajesh Upadhyay, BBC