US strikes Iran following attack on cargo ship
- Global News News
Favour Chikwesiri Michael
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- 3 minutes read
Cargo ships in the Gulf, near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from northern Ras al-Khaimah, near the border with Oman’s Musandam governance, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in United Arab Emirates, March 11, 2026. REUTERS
The U.S. military attacked Iran on Friday in response to an Iranian drone strike on a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz, throwing the fate of the interim peace deal recently agreed between the two countries into question.
U.S. Central Command said aircraft struck missile and drone storage locations and coastal radar sites. Iranian media said a projectile struck an area around a pier in Sirik, a city on the shores of the strategic waterway.
Elsewhere, there were signs of progress as Israel and Lebanon reached an agreement to end the fighting between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah. Both sides described it as a first step, calling for Hezbollah to disarm and for Israel to pull its troops out of Lebanon, though how it would be enforced remained uncertain. Hezbollah, however, stated it would not cooperate.
Tehran has insisted it would control the Strait of Hormuz and warned Gulf states not to side with Washington after Thursday’s attack on a cargo ship traveling near Oman’s coast. U.S. President Donald Trump blamed the attack on Iran and said it violated last week’s agreement.
Iran had expressed anger at what it said was an “interventionist, irresponsible and provocative” statement by the United States and six Gulf states that rejected its assertion that it could charge tolls on vessels transiting the strait.
“Safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz cannot be guaranteed under ambiguous arrangements, parallel routes or decision-making that does not take Iran’s role as a coastal state into account,” Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said on X.
Bloomberg News said Oman, which lies on the opposite side of the strait from Iran, had told allies ships going through Hormuz may have to pay. Reuters could not immediately confirm the report.
Iranian state TV said three foreign tankers attempting what it called an “unauthorised passage” of the strait were turned back after a warning from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. It gave no further details.
