US says it hit Iran after Hormuz cargo ship drone attack

The US military said it launched strikes on Iran after an Iranian drone attack on a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz. The exchange adds a direct US-Iran military confrontation to the wider conflict that diplomats are trying to contain.

The US military described its strikes as “powerful” and said they were carried out in response to the drone attack on the vessel. Explosions were reported in Sirik, a town in southern Iran, according to Al Jazeera.

US President Donald Trump had earlier called the Iranian drone attack on the Ever Lovely cargo ship “a foolish violation” of the deal. The report identified the ship as the Ever Lovely and said the attack took place in the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said the US attack violated American commitments. The IRGC also cited a US-Iran memorandum of understanding, saying it gave Tehran control over traffic in the strait.

The reported strikes came as efforts continued to end the United States and Israel’s war on Iran, according to Al Jazeera. No casualty figures from the US strikes or the drone attack were included in the immediate updates.

Regional diplomacy and fighting

In a separate development, Israel and Lebanon signed what was described as a “framework agreement” after talks in Washington, DC. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the agreement a “first step” in negotiations.

Al Jazeera also reported that Israeli forces killed several people in attacks on the Gaza Strip and southern Lebanon. The updates did not provide a death toll or further details on the locations of those attacks.

The latest developments leave several disputes active at once: the confrontation between Washington and Tehran over the Hormuz vessel attack, talks linked to Israel and Lebanon, and continuing Israeli military operations in Gaza and southern Lebanon.

This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.