US, Iran trade strikes: What to know, will it unravel the MoU?

The United States and Iran person traded strikes successful the archetypal specified confrontation since a preliminary statement was reached connected June 15 to extremity the months-long war.

Both sides traded blame, accusing each different of violating the presumption of the memorandum of knowing (MoU) signed by US President Donald Trump and his Iranian counterpart, Masoud Pezeshkian.

At the bosom of the latest escalation lies a conflict for power of the Strait of Hormuz, which was blocked by Iran successful effect to the US-Israeli war. Tehran has utilized the waterway – a planetary vigor chokepoint – arsenic a geostrategic leverage point.

So, what’s down the US strikes connected Iranian territory and wherever has Tehran returned fire? Will it unravel the statement betwixt the 2 sides?

An Indian sailor shows a representation connected his mobile telephone of an Iranian rocket being fired successful the Strait of Hormuz connected June 23, 2026, successful Muscat, Oman [Elke Scholiers/Getty Images]

Where has the US struck and why?

The US Central Command said that the military’s craft struck rocket and drone retention locations and radar sites on Iran’s confederate coastline precocious connected Friday, “as a almighty effect to yesterday’s onslaught connected a commercialized vessel that was transiting the Strait of Hormuz”.

On Thursday, a Singapore-flagged commercialized vessel, Ever Lovely, was struck by an chartless projectile disconnected Oman’s coast. Iran did not admit the attack, but did not contradict it either.

President Trump had called the onslaught “a foolish violation” of the ceasefire agreement, adding that US forces besides intercepted 3 different drones launched successful the aforesaid coordinated attack.

Later, the US subject published a grainy black-and-white video of an detonation labelled “unclassified,” noting that “the unwarranted aggression against commercialized shipping by Iranian forces intelligibly violated the ceasefire”.

“Iran’s unsafe behaviour undermined state of navigation arsenic commerce progressively flows done the captious planetary commercialized corridor,” the US subject added, referring to the uptick successful postulation successful the Strait of Hormuz since the statement was reached.

It added that the US would proceed to supply “safe transition coordination and support” to commercialized vessels transiting the strait.

Iran said a projectile struck the country astir a pier successful Sirik successful confederate Hormozgan province.

Iran’s Mehr quality bureau quoted the caput of ports astatine eastbound Hormozgan, who said that nary harm has been caused to the Sirik larboard – and that it was operating usually with nary harm to its equipment.

An Omani pistillate photographs Port Sultan Qaboos, wherever lipid tankers, carriers, vessels and Omani fisherboats beryllium anchored connected June 19, 2026, successful Muscat, Oman [Elke Scholiers/Getty Images]

Where has Iran struck and why?

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it responded with attacks against US subject installations successful the region. Tehran did not supply details astir what whitethorn person been hit.

In a connection to the authorities quality work IRNA, the IRGC warned, “In the lawsuit of repeated aggression, our effect volition beryllium much extended than this.”

On Saturday, Bahrain’s Foreign Ministry condemned “an alleged Iranian drone onslaught connected its territory”, describing it arsenic a superior usurpation of sovereignty and planetary law. It said the incidental endangered civilians and undermined determination de-escalation efforts, placing work connected Tehran for escalating tensions.

A tanker was deed by an unidentified projectile, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said connected Saturday, adding that each unit are reported safe.

Late connected Thursday, the IRGC warned against an alternate way successful the waterway. Only routes approved by Tehran could guarantee harmless transition done the strategical waterway, it said.

The informing came aft Oman had announced a caller way successful the confederate conception of the strait, person to the Omani coast.

The Iranian overseas ministry condemned the latest US attacks, saying the targeting of “coastal surveillance facilities interruption Article 1 of the Memorandum of Understanding,” which mandates the extremity of hostilities connected each fronts. Tehran said the US onslaught was besides a usurpation of the UN Charter.

(Al Jazeera)

Who controls the Strait of Hormuz?

Iran says it maintains the power – and the close of absorption – implicit the waterway, which has travel to beryllium Tehran’s biggest bargaining spot successful negotiations with the US and Israel.

Iran’s de facto blockade of the strait triggered a planetary vigor crisis. Higher substance prices successful the US caused by the warfare person piled governmental unit connected Trump to extremity it.

Tehran has been aiming to enforce tolls oregon fees connected ships passing done the waterway. Its leaders person asserted that the strait volition ne'er instrumentality to its pre-war status. The US and Gulf countries person rejected the thought of paying Iran for transit.

Iran archetypal published its ain representation of approved navigation routes successful April, directing ships to sail overmuch person to the Iranian coastline than earlier the conflict, and besides acceptable up a assemblage to negociate the strait.

Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s lawman overseas minister, said that “any credible model indispensable beryllium based connected coordination with Iran and the provisions of paragraph 5 of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding”.

As per that MoU, Iran agreed to “make arrangements utilizing its champion efforts for the harmless transition of commercialized vessels with nary charge, for 60 days only, from the Persian Gulf to the Sea of Oman and vice versa”.

It besides provides for discussions betwixt Iran, Oman and different Gulf states implicit aboriginal arrangements for managing navigation done the waterway “in enactment with the applicable planetary instrumentality and the sovereign rights of coastal states of the Strait of Hormuz”.

The statement does not specify what volition hap aft the archetypal 60-day period.

On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Iran volition not beryllium permitted to complaint tolls oregon fees for vessels transiting the waterway.

The 2 sides person acceptable 60 days to hold connected a last deal.

Al Jazeera’s Resul Serdar Atas, reporting from Tehran, said that the caller escalation is the main menace to the ongoing negotiations.

“The crushed wherefore Iranians are insisting connected this [control implicit Hormuz] is due to the fact that the Strait of Hormuz is the biggest leverage that Iranians have. They judge that if they suffer that unit tool, their manus is going to beryllium importantly weakened astatine the negotiating table,” helium said.

Is the MoU unravelling?

Trita Parsi, enforcement vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, told Al Jazeera that the latest strikes are “definitely putting the MoU nether immense stress”.

“On the 1 hand, the US and Iran whitethorn proceed shooting astatine each different successful the Strait of Hormuz,” helium said. “On the different hand, the Israeli-Lebanese statement appears to contradict the MoU by allowing Israel to proceed to inhabit parts of Lebanon.

“Put together, the likelihood against the MoU emergence sharply,” helium said.

Last Monday, aft the archetypal circular of talks ended successful Switzerland, mediators said that Washington and Tehran had agreed to acceptable up caller connection lines to guarantee the Strait of Hormuz is unfastened and extremity warring successful Lebanon.

But that did not forestall the latest subject confrontations. “If they person disagreements astir however the MoU is being applied, they tin prime up the phone. But unit volition beryllium met with violence,” US Vice President JD Vance said connected X.

Andrea Dessi of the American University of Rome believes the caller escalation shows that “the MoU is highly delicate and has the anticipation of collapsing astatine immoderate moment”.

“Clearly, it is successful the involvement of some sides, Iran and the United States, not to fto this escalate into a further all-out conflict,” helium said.

“Both sides person a circumstantial involvement successful demonstrating that their quality to power oregon bid the strait is successful their hands,” the expert said.

“Therefore, this is mounting up thing of a hostility and a imaginable clash which could spiral retired of power astatine immoderate moment.”