The United States carried out additional strikes on several sites inside Iran on Saturday. Both nations traded attacks over the weekend and accused each other of breaking the ceasefire that underpins current peace talks.
Washington’s latest action followed an Iranian strike on a cargo ship on Thursday. Although the US responded with airstrikes on Friday, Iran hit another vessel carrying Qatari oil on Saturday. The US military’s Central Command stated that Iran had received an opportunity to uphold the truce but chose otherwise.
Officials said the targets included surveillance equipment, communication networks, air defense sites, drone storage areas, and minelaying assets, according to Bloomberg.
The back-and-forth fighting extended into a third straight day, raising fears that plans to restore normal shipping levels through the Strait of Hormuz may face further delays. Talks on a memorandum to conclude the conflict are set to restart on Monday.
The White House offered no immediate comment.
Iran reported launching attacks on US positions in the Persian Gulf after American forces struck its missile storage and radar facilities on Friday. Those earlier US moves responded to an Iranian drone attack on a container ship. An unnamed US official told CNN the operations did not signal a return to full-scale combat.
US Central Command noted that commercial traffic through the strait continues and that forces remain prepared.
Bahrain stated that Iranian drones struck its territory on Saturday morning while another ship in the strait was hit, heightening tensions despite the recent interim agreement.
Bahrain’s foreign ministry said several drones targeted the kingdom, home to the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, early Saturday, according to state media. Iran has struck Bahrain and other Gulf states hosting US bases since the conflict with the United States and Israel began in late February.
A British naval group reported a tanker struck by an unknown projectile in the strait. Tracking data showed commercial ships still using the route on Saturday morning.
The Joint Maritime Information Center raised the threat level in the strait to substantial and warned of possible naval mines. It also widened the recommended Omani transit route for two-way traffic.
Tehran and Washington continued to accuse each other of violating the ceasefire. Iran’s foreign ministry called the US strikes a clear breach of the memorandum signed earlier this month. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed responsibility for retaliatory actions against US sites without naming locations.
