U.S. launches strikes against Iran following attack on ship in Strait of Hormuz
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
June 26, 2026, 4:51 PM EDT / Updated June 26, 2026, 11:58 PM EDTBy Marlene Lenthang, Courtney Kube and Phil Helsel
The U.S. launched strikes against Iran on Friday in response to drone attacks on a ship in the Strait of Hormuz, which President Donald Trump called a violation of the ceasefire agreement, U.S. Central Command said.
A U.S. aircraft struck Iranian missile and drone storage locations as well as coastal radar sites, Central Command said in a news release.
Iran allegedly shot at least four drones at ships traveling through the Strait on Thursday, Trump said on Truth Social Friday morning. One of those hit the upper deck of a cargo carrying ship, and the U.S. knocked down the three other drones, he said.
The ship that was struck was the M/V Ever Lovely, a Singapore-flagged cargo ship was exiting the Strait of Hormuz along the Omani coast, according to U.S. Central Command.
"Obviously, this is a foolish violation of our Ceasefire Agreement," Trump said.
"The unwarranted aggression against commercial shipping by Iranian forces clearly violated the ceasefire," Central Command said. "Furthermore, Iran's dangerous behavior undermined freedom of navigation as commerce increasingly flows through the vital international trade corridor."
An Iranian parliament official characterized the U.S. strike as another military action conducted as negotiations were ongoing and a violation of the ceasefire.
"The U.S. attacked Iran in the middle of negotiations once again," Ebrahim Azizi, head of the national security commission of the parliament, said on X. "The failed U.S. President has shown he has no commitment to the principles of negotiation or a ceasefire."
Vice President JD Vance, who has been tapped to play a lead role in the negotiations, said Friday on X that the U.S. was responding to Iranian military action.
"Iran signed a ceasefire agreement. We have honored it. If they have disagreements about how the MOU is being applied, they can pick up the phone," Vance wrote. "But violence will be met with violence."
The memorandum of understanding was signed just last week, and stipulates that the Strait of Hormuz — a vital waterway through which some 20% of the world's oil passed before the war — will reopen and that Iran agrees to allow safe passage of commercial vessels with no charge for 60 days.
The strait has been a point of contention between the U.S. and Iran in the war, with Iran seeking to maintain leverage over the waterway, and American and global officials insisting transit should be free. Iran has been warning ships to travel along Tehran-approved routes, but some vessels are traversing along a route that avoids Iranian waters and instead hugs the coastline of the United Arab Emirates and bends along Oman's Musandam Peninsula.
The International Maritime Organization (IMO), the U.N.'s maritime agency, had coordinated the alternative route. Arsenio Dominguez, the IMO's Secretary General, said the vessel struck Thursday "did not transit under IMO's evacuation framework."
Iran has previously warned that it cannot guarantee safety for ships that are not following a specified route close to the Iranian coastline.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said Friday that in response to U.S. strikes, its navy struck American positions in the region. It did not name them and it was not immediately clear if any were struck.
According to semi-official Iranian news agency Mehr News, the IRGC said that under the memorandum Iran is to be responsible for arrangements on navigation of the Strait of Hormuz, and suggested there could be further military action.
"America by provoking different parties, sought to violate this commitment and the necessary response was given and will continue in the future," the IRGC said, according to Mehr.
"In case of repeated aggression, our response will be broader than this," it said.
Ever Lovely's owner company, Evergreen Marine, said in a statement to the Taiwanese stock exchange Friday that the ship sustained damage to its bridge windows, but no injuries were reported and the cargo onboard was safe.
"The main engine and all navigation equipment continued to operate," and its seaworthiness was not impacted as it departed the Strait of Hormuz, it added.
Asked whether Iran could face any consequences after allegedly violating the ceasefire, Trump told reporters at the White House earlier on Friday afternoon, "You'll find out."
"I don't like the fact that they took a shot yesterday," the president added. "They shouldn't be doing that. So, you'll find out."
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Doesn't look like Iran has surrendered. That makes it difficult for President Trump to make fast & loose assumptions with terms of the MoU.
I have to wonder who is in charge in Iran and if it is the same people launching the drones.