US President Donald Trump said a ceasefire was still in place between the US and Iran after both sides exchanged fire late on Thursday. It is not clear who fired first.
Iran's military command claimed the US targeted an Iranian oil tanker and another ship approaching the Strait of Hormuz and carried out “air strikes” on several coastal areas.
The Americans say they responded to Iranian attacks on US Navy guided-missile destroyers in the strait with “self-defense strikes”. Trump said Iran “toyed with us today.”
The flare-up comes a day after Iran's Foreign Ministry said it was considering a US proposal to end the war.
Iranian state media initially reported “explosions” in the Strait of Hormuz, describing them as an “exchange of fire” with the “enemy”. Meanwhile, local media reported that explosions were heard in Tehran.
Not long after, a statement from Iran's military command stated that US “air strikes” hit the coasts of Bandar Khamir, Sirik and Qeshm Island.
It said it immediately responded by attacking US military vessels, causing “significant damage” and accused the US of “ceasefire violations”.
US Central Command (Centcom) described the Iranian attacks as “unprovoked”, saying Iranian forces fired “multiple missiles, drones and small craft” as US Navy guided-missile destroyers crossed the strait.
Centcom said it “eliminated threats and targeted Iranian military installations responsible for attacks on US forces, including missile and drone launch sites; command and control locations; and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance nodes.”
“Centcom is not looking to escalate the situation, but remains positioned and ready to protect US forces,” the statement continued.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the US had destroyed several small craft that “fell so beautifully into the ocean, like a butterfly falling into its grave!”.
“Heavy damage was inflicted on the Iranian attackers,” he continued.
The US president also reiterated a warning about the peace deal: “Just as we took them out again today, we will take them out much harder and much more violently in the future if they don't sign their Agreement, FAST!”
An Israeli source told the BBC there was “no Israeli involvement” in the latest attacks.
The rise in tensions comes despite the fact that the US president has said in recent days that the war in Iran will be “quickly over”.
US news agency Axios said the White House believes it may be on the way to a 14-point memorandum of understanding with Iran, which could set a framework for more detailed nuclear negotiations.
On Wednesday, a spokesman for Iran's foreign ministry said the latest US proposal was being considered and that Tehran would share its views with Pakistani mediators.
Pakistan's foreign minister said his country was “making efforts to turn this ceasefire into a permanent end to this war”.
But a senior member of Iran's parliament rejected the 14-point memorandum of understanding, calling it a “wish list”.
Both the US and Iran have threatened an escalation of violence if their respective conditions for a peace deal are not met.
In a post on Truth Social on May 6, Trump wrote that if Iran does not accept a deal, “the bombing will begin and, unfortunately, at a much greater level and intensity than before.”
Shortly thereafter, the spokesman for the Iranian parliament's national security and foreign policy committee, Ebrahim Rezaei, wrote on X that Iran “has its finger on the trigger,” warning that Iran would “give a harsh and regrettable response” if the U.S. did not “surrender and grant the necessary conditions.”
Trump had previously said that Operation Epic Fury – the first US-Israeli offensive in Iran – would end “assuming Iran agrees to deliver what was agreed”. Prior to this statement, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had declared that the operation was over and that it had achieved its objectives.
Trump also said, not for the first time, that Iran had agreed never to have a nuclear weapon “among other things” – a claim not confirmed by Tehran. Iran's nuclear program has been one of the main points of conflict between the two sides.
