US and Iran Exchange Attacks Again, Peace Becomes a Distant Memory

The United States and Iran have once again launched military strikes against each other. The word ‘peace’ is now a distant memory, after the two nations resumed hostilities following a peace agreement. Washington, on Friday (26/6), accused Tehran of violating the ceasefire by attacking a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz. This latest situation threatens the initial peace deal, which established a ceasefire in the Middle East region while further negotiations were conducted to end the conflict permanently. The US Central Command (CENTCOM) stated that the American strikes were a response to unprovoked aggression by Iranian forces against commercial shipping, which clearly violated the ceasefire. CENTCOM announced that US forces targeted Iranian missile and drone storage sites, as well as coastal radar positions. ‘A decisive response to yesterday’s attack on a commercial vessel transiting the Strait of Hormuz,’ CENTCOM asserted in its statement. Iranian state television, citing one of its reporters in Sirik, reported that an explosion was heard on Friday (26/6) midnight at the Taherouyeh wharf in the southern part of the port city. A local military source said the explosion was caused by a projectile striking the area. A senior Iranian MP warned the United States that the latest strikes against Tehran, occurring during ongoing negotiations to end the conflict, would lead to setbacks and regret. Washington was accused of violating the principles of negotiation by attacking Iran. Ibrahim Azizi, who chairs the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission in the Iranian parliament, stated that the latest US strikes on Iran had revealed Washington’s lack of commitment to diplomacy and the ceasefire agreement. Azizi’s warning came after Iran and the US exchanged attacks over the weekend, with Washington accusing Tehran of violating the ceasefire by attacking a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran did not explicitly deny or confirm involvement in the attack. However, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had previously warned that ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz without Tehran’s permission ‘will be dealt with’. Azizi, in his statement on Saturday (27/6), said the US had ‘once again attacked Iran in the midst of negotiations’. He then called US President Donald Trump a ‘failed’ president. ‘The failed US president has shown that he has no commitment to the principles of negotiation or the ceasefire,’ Azizi said. ‘This reckless violation of the ceasefire, as usual, will lead to setbacks and regret for their side,’ he stressed. US Vice President JD Vance issued a stark warning to Iran as the two countries exchanged attacks over the weekend. Vance openly warned that Tehran would face ‘violence’ if it launched further strikes. ‘Iran has signed a ceasefire agreement. We have abided by it. If they have disagreements regarding the implementation of that MoU (memorandum of understanding), they can contact us,’ Vance said in a statement via social media platform X. The US Vice President was referring to the MoU to halt the war that has raged for the past four months, which was signed by the US and Iran on 17 June. ‘However, violence will be met with violence,’ Vance stressed in his statement.