The destroyer USS Rafael Peralta on patrol in the Arabian Sea, April 2026
EA on FirstPost and France 24: US-Iran Talks — J.D. Vance “Tries to Put Lipstick on a Pig”
UPDATES: US-Israel Wars, Day 120 — Iran Seizes Advantage After Switzerland Talks
The US has renewed attacks on Iran following a drone strike on a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz.
The Americans targeted missile and drone storage locations and coastal radar sites in the first strikes since the declaration of a Memorandum of Understanding last week.
Iran did not claim responsibility for the attack on the M/V Ever Lovely, but US Central Command declared a “powerful response” while saying it will continue to enforce a tenuous ceasefire.
“The US military remains present and vigilant to ensure all aspects of the agreement with Iran are adhered to, obeyed, and in full force and effect,” CENTCOM proclaimed.
US Vice President J.D. Vance asserted, “Iran signed a ceasefire agreement. We have honored it. If they have disagreements about how the MOU is being applied, they can pick up the phone. But violence will be met with violence.”
The Iranian media reported strikes on the town of Sirik, on the southern coast. Without acknowledging the attack on the M/V Ever Lovely, they said several warning shots had been fired from Sirik towards vessels that violated Strait of Hormuz regulations around five hours earlier. Two warning missiles were also launched from the nearby Karpan area.
The Revolutionary Guards claimed that after the American strikes, its navy “struck the locations where the terrorist US military is stationed in the region”. It warned, “The United States, by provoking various fronts, sought to violate this commitment, and the necessary response was given and will continue to be given. If the aggression is repeated, our response will be broader than this.”
The International Maritime Organization pauses efforts to evacuate hundreds of ships from the Persian Gulf. By Friday afternoon, 29 commodity vessels had crossed the Strait by Friday afternoon, following 57 on Wednesday and 42 on Thursday.
More than half used a route near the Omani coast, as the Revolutionary Guards warned, “The only authorized transit routes through the Strait of Hormuz are those designated by the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority added, “Any passage through routes outside the framework designated by PGSA will not be covered by safe passage guarantees and will not be entitled to insurance coverage or related liabilities.”
A Singapore-flagged container ship reported that it had been struck while using the passageway on Thursday.
The International Maritime Organization said 2,500 sailors were evacuated from the Strait of Hormuz during the 3 1/2 days it was open this week.
The IMO estimated 11,000 sailors had been stranded, while the International Transport Workers’ Federation said that the number was closer to 20,000.
