The United States and Iran launched retaliatory air strikes on Friday following a drone attack on a commercial cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz, severely testing a fragile interim truce brokered just a week ago.
The military exchange represents the most significant challenge yet to the 60-day understanding aimed at ending months of conflict and reopening the pivotal global waterway.
US President Donald Trump asserted that the drone strike, which hit a container vessel off the coast of Oman on Thursday, directly violated the ceasefire.
Shortly before US Central Command confirmed strikes on Iranian missile sites, drone launch locations and coastal radar installations, Trump cryptically told reporters at the White House, “You’ll find out” if the US would respond. He later added that he did not like the fact that Iran had “taken a shot”.
Tehran, however, defended its actions as “ceasefire management” rather than a violation. Ebrahim Azizi, head of the Iranian parliament’s National Security Commission, warned the US on social media to respect the rules and not mistake restraint for weakness, emphasising Iran’s authority over the strategic strait.
In response, US Vice President JD Vance wrote on social media that whilst Iran should “pick up the phone” to resolve diplomatic disputes, violence would ultimately be met with violence. The Pentagon later confirmed that the retaliatory strikes had concluded roughly an hour after they were launched.
The escalation immediately disrupted United Nations-backed efforts to evacuate hundreds of stranded commercial vessels via an alternative route hugging the Omani coast.
The International Maritime Organisation suspended the evacuation operation on Friday pending strict safety guarantees, leaving approximately 500 ships still trapped in the area, although 115 had successfully departed earlier in the week.
Shipping analysts noted that while the strait remains operationally open, momentum towards normalising global trade flows has stalled significantly.
According to maritime data firm Lloyd’s List Intelligence, at least two oil tankers reversed course after Iran insisted that vessels use only Tehran-approved channels rather than the UN-backed route.
Before Thursday’s drone attack, daily transits had rebounded to 78, the highest traffic volume recorded since the conflict began, although still well below the pre-war average of 130 transits a day.
The opening of the Omani passage was viewed as vital to easing pressure on the global economy and reducing Iran’s primary source of leverage in the broader peace talks, which are scheduled to continue over the next 50 days to address shipping security and the future of Tehran’s highly enriched uranium stockpile.
