US-Iran Ceasefire Cast Into Doubt as Tehran Retaliates After American Strikes and Vance Warns of Strong Response

Clashes between the United States and Iran have once again come into focus, as each side claims the other has violated the ceasefire agreement reached last week.

US Vice President J.D. Vance said Washington has upheld the ceasefire agreement and warned that any aggressive action would be met with retaliation.

“Iran signed the agreement and we have honored it. If they have disagreements about its implementation, they can communicate with us. But violence will be met with violence,” Vance wrote on platform X.

From Tehran, the Foreign Ministry announced that Iranian forces had struck targets linked to the US military in response to American airstrikes on several facilities along the country’s southern coast. Iranian authorities described the American bombings as a violation of the United Nations Charter and the ceasefire memorandum of understanding, without providing details on the targets that were hit.

Meanwhile, US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed it had carried out strikes on missile depots, drones, and coastal radar systems in Iran. According to CENTCOM, the operation came in response to an Iranian drone attack on a commercial ship in the Persian Gulf.

According to Iranian authorities, an American missile struck the area near the port of Shirik, in the south of the country, which was followed by a response from the Iranian navy with attacks on American military targets in the region. However, local officials said the port did not suffer major damage and continues to operate normally.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard also said the strikes on American targets constituted a legitimate response, while warning that any further aggression would be followed by an even harsher retaliation.

Another flashpoint in the crisis remains the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important maritime corridors for oil transport. Tehran has signaled that it will exercise control over this strategic passage, while the US insists on guaranteeing freedom of navigation for commercial vessels.

Despite the escalation of the situation, international markets have reacted with relative calm. Before the latest developments, oil prices had fallen, while exports of oil and chemical fertilizers through Hormuz have begun to recover gradually.

In another development in the region, unlike the tensions between the US and Iran, Israel and Lebanon have signed a framework agreement to end hostilities and pave the way for negotiations on a broader peace deal.

This document предусматриes the disarmament of Hezbollah and the gradual withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanese territory, although the Iran-backed group has made it known that it will not cooperate with this process.