Iran on Thursday reported massive explosions on Qeshm Island in the strategic Strait of Hormuz. This was one of the sharpest confrontations since the US-Iran ceasefire came into effect on April 7.
The two
sides — the United States naval vessels and the Iranian military — exchanged fire and accused each other of carrying out attacks near the Strait of Hormuz. The fresh military actions come as Tehran was weighing a proposal aimed at ending the conflict.
The US Central Command on Thursday said American forces struck Iranian military facilities that were allegedly used to launch attacks on warships transiting the vital waterway.
Notably, the US military has maintained that the strikes were defensive in nature and stressed that Washington did “not seek escalation”. It claimed that the defensive actions were a direct response to the Iranian attack.
‘We’ll Knock Them Out A Lot Harder’: Trump
Speaking on the exchange of fire, US President Donald Trump claimed American forces had destroyed the Iranian attackers and warned Tehran against further provocations.
“We’ll knock them out a lot harder, and a lot more violently” if Iran does not agree to a deal soon, Trump warned, stressing that the ceasefire remained in effect.
He further described the recent US retaliatory attacks on Iranian targets as merely a “love tap” and downplayed concerns that the truce may be collapsing.
