Tehran said on June 28 it carried out a third day of retaliatory strikes against U.S. attacks on Iranian territory, as both accused the other of violating their fragile ceasefire, straining negotiations meant to end the Middle East war.
The exchanges underscored the fragility of a Pakistan-brokered peace process aimed at ending a war launched by the United States and Israel in February, which disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and rattled global energy markets.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on June 28 they were taking measures to control traffic in the vital Strait of Hormuz and that violating vessels would be dealt with more firmly than before.
The IRGC said they also carried out retaliatory strikes on eight U.S. military facilities in Kuwait and a naval base Bahrain.
Iran launched the retaliatory attacks after the U.S. military struck multiple Iranian targets on June 28, marking the latest escalation over shipping safety in the Strait of Hormuz.
According to U.S. Central Command, the airstrikes were triggered by an Iranian drone assault on the “Kiku,” a Panama-flagged oil tanker carrying two million barrels of crude. Local Iranian media later confirmed several explosions in the southern districts of Sirik and Qeshm.
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghci called for the establishment of a security framework with Gulf countries.
“We should reach a new framework that includes all countries in the region and without the presence or interference of any country from outside the region,” Araghchi said at a news conference on a visit to Iraqi capital Baghdad.
The developments came after U.S. President Donald Trump said on June 27 that Iran would “no longer exist” if the U.S. is “forced” to resume the war.
“There may come a point when we are no longer able to be reasonable and will be forced to militarily complete the job that we very successfully started. If that happens, the Islamic Republic of Iran will no longer exist!” Trump wrote.
Israel, meanwhile, launched strikes in Lebanon as Hezbollah’s leader Naim Qassem rejected a deal to end that conflict, which has also threatened to derail the wider U.S.-Iran peace effort.
Israel and Lebanon signed an agreement on June 26 supported by the U.S. aimed at securing long-term peace between the two countries.
However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted Israeli troops will remain in the so-called security zone they occupy in southern Lebanon, with civilians prevented from returning until Hezbollah is disarmed.
