Iran war updates: Tehran says US violated ceasefire, targeted ships

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• President Donald Trump claimed that three US destroyers successfully navigated the Strait of Hormuz despite coming under fire, asserting that the American vessels sustained no damage while inflicting “great damage” on Iranian forces.
• Iran has accused the US ⁠of violating a ceasefire by targeting two ships in ⁠the Strait of Hormuz and attacking civilian areas.
• US Central Command (CENTCOM) stated that it neutralised incoming threats and struck Iranian military infrastructure linked to attacks on US naval forces, specifically targeting missile and drone launch sites, command centres, and surveillance nodes.
• A spokesman for Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya military headquarters alleged that the US targeted two Iranian vessels: an oil tanker travelling in coastal waters from Jask towards the Strait of Hormuz and another vessel located near the UAE’s Fujairah port.
• Hezbollah reported an intensification of its southern military campaign, claiming its fighters launched 13 strikes against Israeli forces as they advanced into Lebanese territory.
• Israeli forces continue to pound southern Lebanon with air strikes that have killed about a dozen people – including two children and a medic in an ambulance – and wounded at least 37 others.
• Tensions in the occupied West Bank escalated as Israeli forces reportedly targeted a school with tear gas near Ramallah, wounded an 18-year-old Palestinian youth near Jerusalem, and uprooted dozens of olive trees in the Jenin area.
• Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan asserted that Israel’s expansionist policies represent the primary security threat to the region.
• The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson stated that Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is “wisely” overseeing all national affairs, emphasising that no state actions are taken without his direct approval.

As is always the case, it seems that when it comes to narrative, the two sides – the US and Iran – are poles apart.

What we do know is that following a period of relative calm, we witnessed new signs of potential escalation tonight.

We heard from sources and heard ourselves in the capital that the air defence system was activated.

The United States has responded in two ways [to the reported exchange of fire].

First was from the US Central Command, and what it is saying is that US forces intercepted unprovoked Iranian attacks and responded with self-defence strikes as US Navy guided missile destroyers transited the Strait of Hormuz to the Gulf of Oman on Thursday.

US Central Command said it eliminated inbound threats and targeted Iranian military facilities responsible for attacking US forces.

CENTCOM said it does not seek escalation but remains positioned and ready to protect American forces.

The US president made a very similar statement on Truth Social shortly after the release of the CENTCOM statement.

Once again, essentially painting this as a US success, blaming Iran, and saying that there was no damage done to the three destroyers, but great damage done, he says, to the Iranian attackers.

The problem is that both sides are saying there was no damage and that the other side is responsible for instigating this.

I’ve been speaking to a US official in the last hour, and what he has consistently said since the start of this conflict is that the only thing certain in a conflict like this is that both sides will be – through the media – engaging in a propaganda war.

It’s clear that somebody isn’t telling the truth, given the fact that this incident is being characterised so differently from the US side versus the Iranian’s.

Saudi Arabia’s envoy to the UN, Abdulaziz al-Wasel, has said that the Strait of Hormuz remains one of the most vital maritime passages for international trade and global energy security.

Al-Wasel stated that “any threat to the freedom of navigation in the strait directly impacts the stability of global markets and international supply chains”. He warned of the “humanitarian and economic repercussions” that would result from disruptions to the flow of essential goods, medical supplies and humanitarian aid.

China is emerging as a major player in global diplomacy – including in the Middle East. In 2023, it helped re-establish diplomatic ties between Riyadh and Tehran.

While it is not officially mediating efforts to end the ongoing war, the US and Iran are looking to China to help de-escalate.

So, can it propel the two sides towards that goal?

Al Jazeera’s Inside Story speaks to experts on what impact China could have on the negotiations.

Watch the discussion below:

“Three World Class American Destroyers just transited, very successfully, out of the Strait of Hormuz, under fire,” Trump said on social media.

“There was no damage done to the three Destroyers, but great damage done to the Iranian attackers,” he claimed.

He also said that “missiles were shot at our Destroyers, and were easily knocked down”, and added that drones were also “incinerated while in the air” during the incident.

“Our three Destroyers, with their wonderful Crews, will now rejoin our Naval Blockade,” Trump said.

Hezbollah says its fighters carried out 13 attacks against Israeli troops advancing into Lebanese territory, marking an intensification of the group’s military campaign in the southern region.

According to a statement released on the group’s Telegram channel, the attacks, among others, included several strikes on gatherings of Israeli soldiers and vehicles in the areas of al-Taybe, Shama, Biyyada, the Alman-Al-Qusayr triangle, and Khallet al-Raj near Deir Siryan.

• A spokesman for the Khatam al-Anbiya military headquarters says the US targeted an Iranian oil tanker moving from Iranian coastal waters near Jask towards the Strait of Hormuz, as well as another Iranian vessel near the UAE’s Fujairah port.
• The spokesman also accused the US of carrying out air strikes on civilian areas in Bandar Khamir, Sirik and Qeshm Island in southern Iran with the cooperation of “some regional countries”.
• The statement was issued shortly after sustained air defence fire was heard in western Tehran following two loud blasts, according to Iran’s official IRNA news agency.
• IRNA reported that anti-aircraft fire continued for several minutes in areas near Tehran’s District 22 and Ahmadabad Mostofi in the western part of the capital.
• CENTCOM said it had  “eliminated inbound threats and targeted Iranian military facilities responsible for attacking US forces, including missile and ⁠drone launch sites; command ⁠and control locations; and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance nodes”.
• It added ⁠Iran had launched multiple missiles, drones and small boats as three ‌US Navy destroyers transited the Strait of Hormuz.

What is interesting, and not surprising in this hostility, is the fact that each side is blaming the other for this escalation that is occurring right now.

There seems to be a tit-for-tat that’s taking place right now between these two sides. Ironically, it comes as there is a push for diplomacy.

Esmaeil Baghaei has strongly condemned Israel’s attack on the southern suburbs of Beirut last night that killed and wounded residents, Tasnim news agency reported.

He said Israel’s continued attacks against Lebanon, including the use of banned weapons such as phosphorus munitions, which explode upon contact with oxygen, were a result of its continued support by countries such as the US.

Iran says it’s reviewing a US peace proposal to formally end the war while leaving unresolved the key US demands that Iran suspend its nuclear programme and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump said he believed Iran wants an agreement.

“They want to make a deal. We’ve had very good talks over the last 24 hours, and it’s very possible that we’ll make a deal,” he told reporters in the Oval Office.

On Tuesday, Trump paused “Project Freedom” to reopen the blockaded strait, citing progress in peace talks. The de facto blockade of the waterway threatens to cause a global recession. Iran has been pressing to keep Hormuz under its control.

Read more here.

The National News Agency (NNA) reports that Israeli air strikes on the towns of Doueir, Harouf and Habboush in the Nabatieh district of southern Lebanon have killed 11 people, including two children.

The air strikes have also wounded 36 people.

Indonesian authorities insist the economy is healthy despite pressures from the US-Israel war on Iran and the currency depreciating to a record low against the dollar.

The rupiah’s exchange rate “has been kept at a level comparable to other countries”, Perry Warjiyo, central bank governor, told reporters in Jakarta.

“Currencies across the world are weakening. We are making sure that the degree of depreciation does not become too large by taking all-out measures,” he said.

The Southeast Asian archipelago’s external economic resilience “remains strong in the face of rising global uncertainty, including the fallout of the Middle East conflict”, Perry added.