Middle East crisis live: Trump insists ceasefire is intact after Iran and US exchange fire in Hormuz
TL;DR
The US launched strikes on Iranian military targets after attacks on American destroyers in the Strait of Hormuz. Despite the escalation, President Trump claims the ceasefire remains intact.
Key points
- US carried out strikes on Iranian military targets
- Attacks followed an assault on three American destroyers
- Trump claims the ceasefire is still intact
- Iran accuses the US of initiating the conflict
- Ceasefire has been in effect since April 8
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Morning, and welcome to the Guardian’s Middle East live blog.
The US said it carried out strikes on Iranian military targets after an attack on three American destroyers in the strait of Hormuz, while Tehran accused Washington of striking first. The exchange of fire threatens to unravel a fragile ceasefire in effect since 8 April – but Donald Trump insisted the truce remains intact.
“The ceasefire is going. It’s in effect,” the US president told ABC News, describing the strikes as “just a love tap”.
He repeated this stance when asked during a visit to see renovations of the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool whether the ceasefire was still on despite the attacks. “Yeah it is,” he said. “They trifled with us today. We blew them away. They trifled. I call that a trifle.”
Writing on his Truth Social platform, he said “there was no damage done” to the US warships “but great damage done to the Iranian attackers”.
He added: “We’ll knock them out a lot harder, and a lot more violently, in the future, if they don’t get their Deal signed, FAST!”
The deal he was referring to is the one-page proposal from the US that would have both sides reach an agreement to reopen the strait of Hormuz and end fighting for 30 days while they work on a longer term truce, the New York Times reported.
Iranian navy fires a missile, at an unknown location, in this image taken from a video. Photograph: WANA/Reuters
Iran, meanwhile, accused the US of violating the ceasefire by attacking an oil tanker and another ship on Thursday, saying its forces “immediately and in retaliation attacked American military vessels”.
Reacting to the attacks in the Gulf, Ebrahim Azizi, head of the Iranian parliament’s national security committee, wrote on X: “Making the same mistake again and again won’t get you a different answer; only a stronger one. Respect the new maritime regime of Iran.”
The tit-for-tat attacks came as explosions shook the Iranian capital Tehran and coastal city of Bandar Abbas, as well as Qeshm, an island in the strait of Hormuz, according to state media. The reported attacks were blamed on the US and “enemy units”, with the semi-official Tasnim news agency suggesting UAE involvement.
The UAE defence ministry said its air defense systems were intercepting missiles and drone attacks from Iran this morning, further straining the tenuous ceasefire.
Iranian state media blamed the UAE for reported strikes in southern Iran yesterday. The semi-official Tasnim news agency, citing sources, reported that there were signs of UAE involvement in attacks on Qeshm, an Iranian island in the strait of Hormuz.
There were no immediate reports of damage in the UAE. The defence ministry advised people not to approach, photograph or touch “any debris or fragments that have fallen as a result of successful air interceptions”.
In a post on X, the ministry said: “The UAE’s air defenses are currently dealing with missile and drone attacks originating from Iran, and the Ministry of Defense confirms that the sounds heard in various parts of the country are the result of the UAE air defense systems intercepting ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones.”
Iran has frequently targeted the UAE and other Gulf nations that hose US military bases in retaliatory attacks since the beginning of the war in late February.
Morning, and welcome to the Guardian’s Middle East live blog.
The US said it carried out strikes on Iranian military targets after an attack on three American destroyers in the strait of Hormuz, while Tehran accused Washington of striking first. The exchange of fire threatens to unravel a fragile ceasefire in effect since 8 April – but Donald Trump insisted the truce remains intact.
“The ceasefire is going. It’s in effect,” the US president told ABC News, describing the strikes as “just a love tap”.
He repeated this stance when asked during a visit to see renovations of the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool whether the ceasefire was still on despite the attacks. “Yeah it is,” he said. “They trifled with us today. We blew them away. They trifled. I call that a trifle.”
Writing on his Truth Social platform, he said “there was no damage done” to the US warships “but great damage done to the Iranian attackers”.
He added: “We’ll knock them out a lot harder, and a lot more violently, in the future, if they don’t get their Deal signed, FAST!”
The deal he was referring to is the one-page proposal from the US that would have both sides reach an agreement to reopen the strait of Hormuz and end fighting for 30 days while they work on a longer term truce, the New York Times reported.
Iranian navy fires a missile, at an unknown location, in this image taken from a video. Photograph: WANA/Reuters
Iran, meanwhile, accused the US of violating the ceasefire by attacking an oil tanker and another ship on Thursday, saying its forces “immediately and in retaliation attacked American military vessels”.
Reacting to the attacks in the Gulf, Ebrahim Azizi, head of the Iranian parliament’s national security committee, wrote on X: “Making the same mistake again and again won’t get you a different answer; only a stronger one. Respect the new maritime regime of Iran.”
The tit-for-tat attacks came as explosions shook the Iranian capital Tehran and coastal city of Bandar Abbas, as well as Qeshm, an island in the strait of Hormuz, according to state media. The reported attacks were blamed on the US and “enemy units”, with the semi-official Tasnim news agency suggesting UAE involvement.
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Q&A
What triggered the US strikes on Iranian military targets in Hormuz?
The US strikes were triggered by an attack on three American destroyers in the Strait of Hormuz.
What did President Trump say about the ceasefire after the attacks?
President Trump insisted that the ceasefire is still intact, referring to the strikes as a 'love tap'.
How has Iran responded to the US military actions in Hormuz?
Iran accused the US of striking first in the exchange of fire that threatens the ceasefire.
When was the ceasefire originally established between the US and Iran?
The ceasefire has been in effect since April 8.
