The United States on Friday carried out airstrikes against Iranian targets in response to an Iranian drone attack on a Singaporean-flagged merchant ship off the coast of Oman. writes Reuters. According to the US Central Command, they attacked missile and drone warehouses, as well as coastal radar stations, while according to Iranian press reports, a projectile hit near the port city of Sirik, located on the coast of the strategically important waterway. The attack could once again make the fate of the temporary agreement between the two countries uncertain.
Tehran still insists on controlling the Strait of Hormuz and has warned Gulf states not to support Washington. Iran says safe shipping cannot be guaranteed if its role as a coastal state is ignored. Iranian state television also reported that three foreign tankers were turned back after a warning because they tried to pass through the strait without permission, and the American side is currently investigating this.
At the same time, there was progress in the region on another front: Israel and Lebanon signed an agreement to end the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. The agreement calls for the disarmament of Hezbollah and the withdrawal of Israeli troops, but Hezbollah has said it is not cooperating. Despite the tension around the Strait of Hormuz, the price of crude oil fell by about three percent on Friday, while the United States and the Gulf Cooperation Council again stood for free and unrestricted navigation in the strait.
