Trump does not state that ceasefire with Iran has been violated

Washington (ANTARA) - US President Donald Trump did not state that the US-Iran ceasefire has been violated, following reports of Iranian attacks on commercial ships near the Strait of Hormuz and oil infrastructure in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). “(The attack) was not a major attack,” Trump said regarding the Iranian attack on Monday in a telephone interview session with ABC News. When asked if the ceasefire had been violated, Trump said: “We will let you know. The ships are moving. You know, we moved some ships last night – big ships. There was no attack. I think there have been some incidents recently. I’m finding out,” he added. “I will let you know, as I will let everyone know,” Trump said when asked what would happen if the ceasefire was violated. “We just heard about this, and we will find out. What should happen is that South Korea should be involved. The ship that was attacked belongs to South Korea. And, I think, if you have a ship that is attacked, you should immediately send some people,” he continued. When asked about the attack on the UAE, Trump stated that missiles and drones from Iran “were mostly shot down.” “One got through. The damage was not too severe,” said the US president. “We are in control of that. However it is, we are winning,” Trump claimed, adding that Iranian leaders “had better hope (the ceasefire) remains in place. The best thing that can happen to them is for us to keep it in place.” Earlier on Monday, Iran was reported to have fired on a South Korean ship near the Strait of Hormuz and launched missiles and drones at the UAE. Brad Cooper, head of the US Central Command (CENTCOM), said on Monday that US forces had sunk six small Iranian boats targeting civilian ships in the Strait of Hormuz and intercepted several Iranian missiles and drones. Iran subsequently denied the US military’s claim that the US had sunk several of its boats, according to Iran’s semi-official news agency Tasnim on Monday, quoting a statement from a senior military official. On 28 February, the US and Israel launched combined strikes on Tehran and other cities in Iran, killing Iran’s then-top leader Ali Khamenei, several senior commanders, and civilians. Iran then responded with waves of missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and US assets across the Middle East, and tightened control over the Strait of Hormuz. The ceasefire came into effect on 8 April, followed by several rounds of negotiations between Iranian and US delegations in Islamabad that ended without agreement.