'US regime, as always, violated the agreement'

'Two projectiles struck Sirik port near Strait of Hormuz'

The Strait of Hormuz. [AP]
The Strait of Hormuz. [AP]

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said Saturday it had struck multiple US military bases in the Middle East, accusing Washington of violating a truce agreement.

In a statement issued Friday, the IRGC said, "Following the Zionist regime's (Israel's) violation of the southern Lebanon truce, the American regime — as it always has — broke the agreement just hours after making its promise." It added that "the IRGC Navy struck several bases of the American terrorist forces in the region in response to this aggression."

The statement also said the United States "attacked the Iranian coast under various pretexts, citing the passage of violating vessels through unauthorized routes in the Strait of Hormuz."

Ebrahim Azizi, chair of the Iranian parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, also condemned the US on X on Saturday, saying, "America has once again attacked Iran in the middle of negotiations," and that "the failed American president did not honor the principles of negotiations or the truce."

He went on to say, "As always, the reckless violation of the truce will lead them to defeat and regret."

Iranian officials said that under Article 5 of the Islamabad Agreement — a memorandum of understanding on ending the war — Iran holds the authority and procedures governing passage through the Strait of Hormuz. They also warned that if violations continue, Iran would respond more broadly.

Iranian state media reported Friday that two projectiles struck a communications tower in Sirik, a port city in southern Iran near the Strait of Hormuz. State media also reported that two more projectiles landed on Qeshm Island in the strait. The source of the strikes was not confirmed, and no specific details on casualties or damage were provided.

US Central Command, which oversees American forces in the Middle East, said in a statement posted on X that "CENTCOM forces conducted airstrikes against Iran on Friday as a forceful response to yesterday's attack on a merchant vessel transiting the Strait of Hormuz."

US aircraft struck Iranian missile and drone stockpiles as well as coastal radar installations, CENTCOM said.

The US military said it launched the airstrikes after Iran attacked a merchant ship passing through the Strait of Hormuz with a drone on Friday, which Washington said constituted a violation of the truce agreement.


notstrong@heraldcorp.com