Iran Cries 'Ceasefire Violation' After Deliberately Initiating Hormuz Ship Attacks

TEHRAN/WASHINGTON, July 8: Iran on Wednesday accused the United States of violating a ceasefire agreement after American forces launched a fresh wave of strikes against military targets, while Washington said the operation was a direct response to Iranian attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran's Foreign Ministry said the latest US strikes targeted several monitoring and surveillance facilities along the country's southern coastline during the early hours of Wednesday.

In a statement, the ministry described the attacks as "a blatant violation" of Article 2(4) of the UN Charter, which prohibits the use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of states. It also accused Washington of breaching the first article of the ceasefire agreement reached between the two sides on June 17, which it said required an end to military operations.

Separately, Iran's state broadcaster IRIB reported that a member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy was killed in Bandar Mahshahr during what the IRGC described as an encounter with "enemy drones." The public relations office of the Third Naval Zone of the Imam Hussein Basij Corps identified the casualty as a Basij member assigned to the unit.

The US military, however, said the strikes targeted more than 80 military sites across Iran and were carried out "in immediate response to Iranian attacks on commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz."

According to US Central Command (CENTCOM), the operation was launched after Iranian attacks on commercial shipping in one of the world's busiest maritime trade routes, which Washington said violated the ceasefire and threatened international navigation.

The latest exchange marks a sharp escalation in tensions, with both sides accusing each other of breaking the truce as military operations continue across the region.