[Anchor]
The United States and Iran have clashed again just nine days after signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to end hostilities. After Iran attacked a merchant vessel passing through the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. launched retaliatory airstrikes, prompting Iran to strike back. The agreement is facing a crisis before the ink has even dried.
Lee Han-seok reports from Washington.
[Reporter]
On June 26 (local time), the U.S. Central Command announced that it had conducted surprise airstrikes on missile and drone storage facilities and coastal radar stations within Iran, releasing footage of the bombardment.
This marks the first time the U.S. military has struck Iran since the ceasefire MOU took effect nine days ago.
The U.S. military stated that these strikes were a response to Iran's use of a suicide drone to attack the Ever Lovely, a Singapore-flagged container ship, as it passed through the Strait of Hormuz the previous day.
The Ever Lovely was passing through the Strait of Hormuz near the Omani coast when Iran attacked the ship, claiming it was using an unauthorized route.
U.S. President Trump criticized the move as a clear and foolish violation of the ceasefire agreement and signaled retaliation, leading to the immediate U.S. airstrikes on Iran.
[Trump / U.S. President: There was no major damage, but it sustained some damage. Iran should not have done that. We will see what happens.]
The Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps condemned the U.S. airstrikes as an act of aggression that betrayed the agreement, announcing that it had struck several U.S. military bases in the Middle East, including the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet in Bahrain.
Additionally, another oil tanker passing through the Strait of Hormuz was hit by an unidentified projectile.
The ceasefire MOU between the U.S. and Iran stipulates the immediate and permanent cessation of military operations on all fronts.
While both the U.S., ahead of the midterm elections in November, and Iran, which is desperate for the lifting of sanctions, appear to want to avoid an escalation, the conflict over control of the Strait of Hormuz—the powder keg of the Middle East—could reignite at any time, likely becoming a variable in future working-level negotiations for peace.
Reported by Lee Han-seok | Video by Oh Jung-sik | Video Editing by Kim Byung-jik
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