Iran war: US military hits Iran over cargo vessel attack
Published June 26, 2026last updated June 27, 2026
What you need to know
- Trump says Iran attacks cargo ship in Strait of Hormuz, violating ceasefire deal
- US military then announces fresh strikes on Iran
- The earlier Iranian attack on the cargo ship comes as a UN agency was coordinating an evacuation plan of stranded seafarers through Hormuz
- The agency, the International Maritime Organization, paused the plan after the cargo ship attack
- Iran said any passage through Hormuz must be coordinated with Iranian authorities
- Israel and Lebanon tout US-brokered framework deal, but Hezbollah rejects
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Please follow along for the latest developments on the Iran war and the wider Middle East region for the weekend of June 26 to 28:
US Vice President Vance: 'Violence will be met with violence'
US Vice President JD Vance said if Iranian officials were unhappy with how the Memorandum of Understanding is being applied "they can pick up the phone."
In a post on X after the attacks, the US vice president also said the US "honored" the ceasefire deal.
"Iran signed a ceasefire agreement. We have honored it," he wrote. "If they have disagreements about how the MOU is being applied, they can pick up the phone. But violence will be met with violence."
As part of negotiations to reach the so-called Memorandum of Understanding, or MOU, which Vance helped negotiate earlier this month, Iran and the US established an office with the goal of heading off a spiral of attacks should skirmishes occur.
It was not immediately clear how the US strikes on Friday aligned with the first article of the MOU, which states, "The United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran and their allies in the current war, by signing this MOU, declare the immediate and permanent termination of military operations."
US attack on Iran has ended, US media report
Friday's attacks by the US military on Iran have concluded, according to reports in The New York Times and broadcaster CNN.
Six US Air Force F35 and F16 fighter jets struck four Iranian sites in 90 minutes of attacks along the Strait of Hormuz and on Qeshm Island, the US newspaper reported, citing an anonymous official.
IRGC: Response to fresh US attack will be 'swift and decisive'
After the US strike on Iran on Friday, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has said its response would be "swift and decisive." The IRCG's statement was broadcast on state television, according to Reuters news agency.
The IRGC said its forces had repelled an attack by the US military on Sirik, on the coast near the Strait of Hormuz.
A report by the semiofficial FARS news agency, which has close ties to the IRGC, later said the military group had not made an official statement regarding the US strikes.
Iranian media had reported earlier that a pier in Sirik, on the coast of southern Iran, had been struck by the US.
US, Lebanon, Israel sign framework agreement
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has announced a trilateral framework agreement. Lebanese officials began direct talks with Israel in Washington in April.
Trump criticizes Iran for drone attack on cargo vessel; US military hits Iran in retaliation
US President Donald Trump accused Iran of attacking a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz with four drones on his Truth Social account.
"One of the Drones solidly hit the upper deck of a large and very expensive Cargo Carrying ship," while three others were intercepted, Trump said.
The US president said the attack was a violation of an ongoing ceasefire beteen the US and Iran, as laid out in the US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding.
US CENTCOM announces fresh strikes on Iran
In response, US CENTCOM announced fresh strikes on Iran.
"US aircraft struck Iranian missiles and drone storage locations and coastal radar sites after Iran hit M/V Ever Lovely on June 25 with a one-way attack drone. The Singapore-flagged cargo ship was exiting the Strait of Hormuz along the Omani coast at the time of Iran's attack," CENTCOM said.
The Iranian attack on the cargo vessel was first announced by British maritime security agency UKMTO. The agency said the attack did not cause any casualties or environmental impact.
It comes as a UN agency is coordinating an evacuation plan of stranded 11,000 seafarers in the Gulf through Hormuz.
The agency, the International Maritime Organization, paused the plan after the attack.
Iran has said that any country must coordinate with Iranian authorities if they want to passage through Hormuz.
Welcome to our coverage
Welcome to DW's coverage of the Iran war and its impact on the wider Middle East.
US President Donald Trump has accused Iran of attacking a cargo vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, jeopardizing a ceasefire deal between the US and Iran.
Meanwhile, the US has brokered a framework deal between Israel and Lebanon, but the details are still unclear.
Follow along for the latest news, analysis and multimedia content related to the war throughout the weekend.