The US struck Iran, and Tehran responded.
Despite mutual attacks, Donald Trump stated that the ceasefire is still in effect.
The US and Iran exchanged military strikes on Thursday. This is being assessed as the most serious test for the ceasefire that has been in effect since April 7. Reuters reported this.
It was reported that the Iranian military accused the US of striking two ships in the Strait of Hormuz and Iranian territories. According to Tehran, the attacks were carried out on Qeshm Island and areas around Bandar Khamir and Sirik.
In response, Iran announced that it had attacked US military vessels in the eastern part of the Strait of Hormuz and near Chabahar port. A representative of Iran's "Khatam al-Anbiya" central headquarters claimed that the strikes had caused "heavy casualties."
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) stated that three US destroyers were targeted by Iran using missiles, drones, and small boats. At the same time, Washington announced that retaliatory strikes had been carried out against Iranian missile and drone facilities.
"CENTCOM does not want further escalation of the conflict, but is ready to defend US forces," the command's statement said.
US President Donald Trump, commenting on the situation, emphasized that the ceasefire was still holding.
"Today they tried to mess with us. And we annihilated them," Trump told journalists.
Later, Iran's Press TV channel reported that the situation in areas near the Strait of Hormuz had normalized again.
The tension between the sides occurred at a time when Washington is awaiting Tehran's response to a new peace proposal. Although the US proposal envisions officially ending the war, key issues such as Iran's nuclear program and the opening of the Strait of Hormuz remain unresolved.
Trump stated that negotiations are ongoing and said there is a principled agreement that Iran cannot possess nuclear weapons.
Additionally, against the backdrop of the new military clashes, a sharp reaction was observed in global energy markets. In Asian trading on Friday, US crude oil futures prices rose by up to 3 percent. It was reported that gasoline prices in the US have increased by more than 40 percent since the end of February.
