The fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran is on the verge of total collapse after the two nations exchanged heavy military strikes and traded bitter accusations of treaty violations. <\/p>\n
The latest escalation began Saturday after a drone strike targeted a Panama-flagged tanker, the MT Kiku, in the strategic Strait of Hormuz. US Central Command (Centcom) blamed Iranian forces for the “one-way attack drone,” stating that Tehran had thrown away its chance to honor the truce. In response, US fighter jets blasted 10 Iranian military targets near the strait, destroying air defense sites, communication systems, and drone storage facilities, News.Az<\/a> reports, citing BBC<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) immediately retaliated, claiming it launched a barrage of ballistic missiles and drones that “destroyed” eight infrastructure targets at the Ali al-Salem airbase in Kuwait and the US Fifth Fleet\u2019s base in Port Salman, Bahrain. While both Kuwait and Bahrain confirmed their air defense systems were heavily engaged, a US official stated that no American casualties or major structural damage to US facilities occurred.<\/p>\n Following the exchange, the political rhetoric escalated sharply. President Donald Trump<\/a> took to Truth Social on Saturday evening to issue a severe warning to Tehran. “There may come a point when we are no longer able to be reasonable, and will be forced to militarily complete the job that we very successfully started,” Trump wrote. “If that happens, the Islamic Republic of Iran will no longer exist!”<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Iran\u2019s Foreign Ministry fiercely condemned the American actions as “brutal attacks,” claiming the US has proven it places zero value on its diplomatic commitments. The IRGC asserted that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the two nations earlier this month gives Iran authority over navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, warning that any future Western aggression will trigger a “crushing response.”<\/p>\n This marks the second consecutive day of direct military conflict. Just 24 hours prior, the US launched what it called a “powerful response” to a June 25 Iranian drone attack on a Singapore-flagged cargo ship, the MV Ever Lovely. Tehran defended that initial attack, claiming the cargo ship was using an unauthorized route through the Gulf waterway.<\/p>\n The rapid unraveling of the June 17 ceasefire threatens to plunge global markets back into chaos. The 14-point MoU was explicitly designed to halt hostilities and reopen the Strait of Hormuz\u2014a vital global artery for oil and gas shipments that Tehran had effectively shut down following US and Israeli attacks in February. The closure triggered a massive spike in global energy and commodity prices.<\/p>\n While US officials had previously insisted that negotiations were moving smoothly\u2014with Iran allegedly dropping demands to charge transiting vessels\u2014the latest battlefield reality suggests the diplomatic path has hit a definitive dead end.<\/p>\n