Drone attack, US strikes, ceasefire violated: What is happening in the Strait of Hormuz | World News
Officials told CNN and the New York Times the operation lasted roughly 90 minutes and covered four sites three along the coast and one on Qeshm island in the Persian Gulf, carried out F-35s and F-16s.
United States Central Command, which directs US military forces in the Middle East, said US forces “conducted strikes against Iran, June 26, as a powerful response to yesterday’s attack on a commercial ship that was transiting the Strait of Hormuz”.
The Pentagon statement posted on social media continued: US 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.
https://t.co/W4zjNqnmCt— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) June 26, 2026
The unwarranted aggression against commercial shipping Iranian forces clearly violated the ceasefire.
What triggered the strikes
Trump said on Truth Social that Iran fired at least four one-way attack drones at ships in the strait. One hit the upper deck of a large cargo ship, while the US knocked down the other three. Story continues below this ad
Tankers and cargo vessels are seen in the Gulf of Oman, along shipping routes linking the Strait of Hormuz and the Arabian Sea. (PTI))
The ship that was struck was the M/V Ever Lovely, a Singapore-flagged vessel exiting the strait along the Omani coast. Its owner, Evergreen Marine, said the attack damaged the bridge windows but no one was hurt and the cargo was safe. The main engine and all navigation equipment kept working, and the ship’s ability to sail was not affected.
‘You’ll find out’
When reporters asked Trump at the White House whether Iran would face any consequences, he gave a short answer: “You’ll find out.”
“I don’t like the fact that they took a shot yesterday,” he said. “They shouldn’t be doing that.”
Earlier that morning on Truth Social, Trump had been sharper: “Obviously, this is a foolish violation of our Ceasefire Agreement,” he wrote.
(Photo: @realDonaldTrump)
What the ceasefire saidStory continues below this ad
The US and Iran agreed on June 17 to stop hostilities under a 14-point memorandum of understanding, which also called on Iran to use its best efforts to allow commercial vessels to pass through the strait without charge for 60 days.
US Central Command said Friday the drone attack on the Ever Lovely “clearly violated the ceasefire” and that Iran’s actions “undermined freedom of navigation” in a waterway that carries a large share of the world’s oil and gas.
Tolls: the fault line underneath
Even before Thursday’s attack, the ceasefire was under strain over the question of shipping fees. An Iranian member of the country’s negotiating team, Hossein Ghorbanzadeh, said Iran would resume collecting fees from vessels after the 60-day pause expires, adding that the temporary halt was accepted “so that the agreement could be reached”, as reported Fox News.
Vessels at the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman. (REUTERS)
Trump had said on Wednesday that Iran told him there would be “no tolls, no insurance costs and no other charges of any kind,” warning that if that information turned out to be false, negotiations would end immediately.Story continues below this ad
Iran’s chief negotiator, Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf, added to the tension saying publicly that “the adminration of the Strait of Hormuz will never go back to the way it was before the war.”
Vance draws a line
Vice-President JD Vance addressed Tehran directly in a post on X after the US struck: “If Iran has disagreements about how the MOU is being applied, they can pick up the phone. But violence will be met with violence.”
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. https://t.co/VWnBS1PWaV— JD Vance (@JDVance) June 26, 2026
The UN’s International Maritime Organization paused a planned evacuation of more than 11,000 sailors stranded in the shipping lane since the war began.
Iran’s parliament also pushed back. Ebrahim Azizi, head of the Iranian parliament’s national security commission, wrote on X that “the US attacked Iran in the middle of negotiations once again,” adding: “The failed US president has shown he has no commitment to the principles of negotiation or a ceasefire.”
The U.S. attacked Iran in the middle of negotiations once again.The failed U.S. President has shown he has no commitment to the principles of negotiation or a ceasefire.This reckless violation of the ceasefire will, as always, lead to retreat and regret on their part.The…— ابراهیم عزیزی (@Ebrahimazizi33) June 26, 2026
The US military said it would keep helping commercial ships move safely through the strait, adding that its forces remain “present and vigilant throughout the region.”
(With inputs from agencies)
