Iran and the US accused each other of violating the ceasefire

A spokesman for Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Saturday accused the United States of violating the peace agreement as the parties exchanged blows after an attack on a merchant ship in the Strait of Hormuz.

The IRGC claims that the memorandum of understanding, which the countries signed on June 18, gives Tehran control over ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, writes Al Jazeera.

According to the report, the IRGC fired on American bases in the Middle East in response to American strikes on missile and drone storage sites, as well as on coastal radars in Iran.

On Friday, US President Donald Trump accused Iran of “stupidly” violating the ceasefire. According to him, Iran attacked ships with four drones in the Strait of Hormuz: one of the drones seriously damaged the upper deck of a cargo ship (he did not specify which one).

Trump was referring to the incident that occurred with the Taiwanese ship Ever Lovely, flying the Singapore flag. The ship was hit by an “unknown object” while sailing through the Strait of Hormuz while off the coast of Oman, a sea route that differs from the route Iran insists on. US officials told Reuters the ship was attacked by Iran. There were no injuries, the ship continued its journey.

The head of the Iranian parliament's national security committee, Ebrahim Azizi, responded by saying that Iran controls the strait and that ships must “follow the rules” and “use safe routes.”

The incident shows that Iran and the United States and its allies remain at odds over their interpretation of the agreements to open the Strait of Hormuz. Iran insists that ships passing through the strait coordinate their passage with Tehran. Iran is not currently charging for this, but has not ruled out doing so in the future. Iran does not guarantee the safety of other ships.

• After the start of attacks by the United States and Israel on February 28, Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, and the United States responded by announcing a naval blockade of Iran. According to the terms of the memorandum signed in mid-June, the Strait of Hormuz must be open for at least 60 days while negotiations on a final peace agreement take place. There are no agreements yet on what will happen next. The strait is of strategic importance because most of the oil produced in the Persian Gulf countries enters the world market through it.