US and Iran exchange attacks despite cease-fire

The fragile cease fire between the United States and Iran continued being tested last night, The US said it had hit 90 targets in Iran, and Iranian media reported that explosions were heard in areas along the country's southern coast. Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar have subsequently reported Iranian attacks - Iran said it had targeted US bases in the three countries.

Meanwhile, ships hoping to sail through the Strait of Hormuz face a confusing picture, with both sides seeking to push traffic through different routes.

Vessels have been advised to avoid going through the middle of the Strait of Hormuz due to the ongoing conflict.

The Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC) - which the US is a member of - has recommended vessels take a route close to the coast of Oman at the south of the strait, in order to avoid the risk of Iranian mines.

But Iran says no vessel is permitted to pass through the strait unless it travels along a designated route further north, closer to its coastline.

Its Persian Gulf Strait Authority will only issue permits if that route is taken, with others "strictly prohibited".

These competing attempts to manage how the strait operates have added to the fraught situation facing shipping companies in the vitally important shipping lane.

The Iranian foreign ministry has accused the US of a "flagrant breach" of parts of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed on 17 June, which brought about a temporary truce.

That called for an "immediate and permanent termination of military operations", and said Iran would "make arrangements using its best efforts for the safe passage of commercial vessels" through the Strait of Hormuz.

How both sides interpret that part of the MoU has become a key point of tensions in this conflict.

The foreign ministry says the US carried out attacks under the "false pretext" of responding to "alleged incidents involving several non-compliant vessels" in the strait.

The US previously accused Iran of a "clear violation of the ceasefire" for targeting three commercial ships in the strait. Iran has not claimed responsibility for those attacks.

The foreign ministry also condemns "crude rhetoric" from Donald Trump, who on Wednesday called Iran's leadership "scum" and "cuckoo".

It accuses the US of a "grave war crime" for targeting of several locations, including two railway bridges.

 

source:commonspace.eu with BBC (London) and agencie

photo: A picture by US Central Command claims to show target being hit in Iran

Related articles

Popular

Editor's choice
Interview
Thursday Interview: Murad Muradov

Thursday Interview: Murad Muradov

Today, commonspace.eu starts a new regular weekly series. THURSDAY INTERVIEW, conducted by Lauri Nikulainen, will host  persons who are thinkers, opinion shapers, and implementors in their countries and spheres. We start the series with an interview with Murad Muradov, a leading person in Azerbaijan's think tank community. He is also the first co-chair of the Action Committee for a new Armenian-Azerbaijani Dialogue. Last September he made history by being the first Azerbaijani civil society activist to visit Armenia after the 44 day war, and the start of the peace process. Speaking about this visit Murad Muradov said: "My experience was largely positive. My negative expectations luckily didn’t play out. The discussions were respectful, the panel format bringing together experts from Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Turkey was particularly valuable during the NATO Rose-Roth Seminar in Yerevan, and media coverage, while varied in tone, remained largely constructive. Some media outlets though attempted to represent me as more of a government mouthpiece than an independent expert, which was totally misleading.  Overall, I see these initiatives as important steps in rebuilding trust and normalising professional engagement. The fact that soon a larger Azerbaijani civil society visits to Armenia followed, reinforces the sense that this process is moving in the right direction." (click the image to read the interview in full)