The US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on May 7 that three American missile destroyers were subjected to an “unprovoked” attack by Iran. The vessels were transiting international waters from the Strait of Hormuz into the Gulf of Oman when they came under fire from Iranian missiles, drones, and small boats.
In response, the US struck Iranian missile and drone launch sites, command centers, and surveillance facilities. According to CNN, citing its sources, the US targeted a port on Iran's Qeshm Island and the city of Bandar Abbas.
The Iranian military command accused the US of violating the ceasefire, striking an Iranian oil tanker and another vessel, and launching airstrikes on civilian areas of Qeshm Island and nearby coastal regions on the mainland.
Reuters noted that the escalation occurred as Washington was awaiting Tehran's response to a proposal to end the war, which had been submitted to the Iranian side several days earlier.
US President Donald Trump confirmed that three US destroyers were attacked while transiting the Strait of Hormuz but stated they sustained no damage. He added that “the Iranian attackers suffered heavy losses and were completely destroyed.”
“A normal country would have let these destroyers pass, but Iran is not a normal country. They are run by idiots, and if they had the capability to use nuclear weapons, they would not hesitate. But they will never have that capability, and just as we struck them today, we will strike them even harder and more ruthlessly if they do not sign a deal as soon as possible!” the White House leader wrote.
However, later Trump told journalists that the truce between the two countries remained in effect. “The ceasefire continues. It is holding,” he said. The US president described the mutual strikes as a “love tap.”
The US and Israel launched a war against Iran on February 28. Tehran almost immediately blocked the Strait of Hormuz, through which 15-20% of the world's oil passes. Later, Washington announced the start of a blockade of Iranian ports. Since April 8, a temporary truce has been in effect between the US and Iran, but the parties regularly accuse each other of violating it.
Source: www.gazeta.uz