A fragile ceasefire in the US-Israel war on Iran is coming under growing strain as several Gulf countries have reported drone attacks. Qatar said on Sunday that a drone struck a cargo ship in Qatari waters, sparking a fire, while Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates said they repelled drone attacks.
Though no Gulf country reported casualties in the latest attacks, they have put pressure on the fragile ceasefire, which took effect on April 8. Qatar’s Ministry of Defence said the freighter had been arriving from Abu Dhabi and was hit by a drone northeast of the port of Mesaieed.
Kuwait’s Defence Ministry said a “number of hostile drones” were detected in the country’s airspace at dawn. The UAE Defence Ministry said two Iranian drones were intercepted.
The US regime has said the truce is still in effect, but a naval battle has been taking place in the Gulf region, with Iran restricting traffic through the Strait of Hormuz and the United States imposing a blockade of Iranian ports.
On Friday, the US struck two Iranian oil tankers, saying they were trying to breach its blockade. On Tuesday, the UAE said it came under attack from Iranian missiles and drones for the second day in a row, though Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps denied the claim.
The spokesperson for the Iranian parliament’s foreign policy and security committee, Ebrahim Rezaei, said Tehran’s “restraint is over”. “Any aggression against our vessels will be met with a heavy and decisive Iranian response against American vessels and bases,” he wrote on X.
While the truce remains in effect, President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to resume the US bombardment if Iran does not accept a deal which includes reopening the Strait of Hormuz and rolling back its nuclear programme.
Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani pushed for all parties to respond to the ongoing mediation efforts and to reach an agreement for lasting peace. He told Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi that Iran’s use of the Strait of Hormuz as a “pressure card” would only deepen the crisis.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said negotiations with the US on ending the war do not mean Iran is surrendering, but aim to realize the rights of the Iranian people and defend national interests.
Source: www.aljazeera.com