*Israel, Lebanon sign US-brokered peace agreement
Sunday Ehigiator
Iran yesterday condemned what it described as American attacks on its territory, saying the US military strikes on missile and drone storage sites, as well as coastal radar installations, breached the memorandum of understanding that halted weeks of hostilities.
In a separate diplomatic development, Israel and Lebanon on Friday signed a US-brokered framework agreement intended to advance peace along their shared front.
The renewed violence followed US accusations that Iran had attacked a commercial cargo vessel transiting the Strait of Hormuz earlier in the week, an allegation Tehran has not acknowledged.
The latest escalation has heightened concerns about security in one of the world’s most strategic shipping lanes, even as both sides continue negotiations toward a broader, permanent settlement.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said its military operation targeted Iranian missile and drone storage facilities and coastal surveillance positions in response to what it called “unwarranted aggression against commercial shipping by Iranian forces” that “clearly violated the ceasefire.”
However, Iran insisted the American operation itself represented the first breach of the truce.
“These brutal attacks, which targeted Iranian coastal surveillance facilities, are a blatant violation” of the memorandum of understanding that ended the war, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps later announced retaliatory strikes against US military positions in the Gulf region, warning that any further attacks would trigger a much stronger response.
The Guards said they had targeted American sites “in retaliation”. They warned that “if the aggression is repeated, our response will be broader than this,” according to a statement carried by Iranian state television on Telegram.
The conflict also spilled into neighbouring Bahrain, whose Foreign Ministry said several Iranian drones targeted the country yesterday.
Bahrain condemned the attacks, accusing Tehran of “sabotaging peace efforts” aimed at stabilising the region following the recent ceasefire.
CENTCOM described the latest military operation as “a powerful response to yesterday’s attack on a commercial ship that was transiting the Strait of Hormuz.”
US President Donald Trump had earlier denounced what he described as an Iranian drone strike on the vessel.
“This is a foolish violation of our ceasefire agreement,” Trump said.
Vice President JD Vance also warned Tehran against further military action, writing on X that “violence will be met with violence” if Iran launches additional attacks.
Despite the heightened tensions, commercial shipping has continued through the Strait of Hormuz, although Iran has warned vessels not to enter or leave the Gulf without its authorisation. Some ships have reportedly continued using alternative routes outside those approved by Tehran.
Oil markets, however, have remained relatively calm, with prices falling on expectations that shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, which handles roughly one-fifth of global oil and gas exports, will continue despite the latest military exchanges.
Meanwhile, Israel and Lebanon have signed a US-brokered framework agreement intended to advance peace along their shared front.
The agreement, reached after five rounds of negotiations in Washington, provides for Lebanese troops to gradually assume control of two areas currently occupied by Israeli forces while outlining a process aimed at disarming Hezbollah.
Speaking during the signing ceremony in Washington, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the trilateral agreement “begins to put in place a framework for lasting peace and security.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the agreement, describing it as a strategic victory over Iran.
Under the framework, he said, Lebanese forces would return to two pilot areas in southern Lebanon while Israeli troops would remain inside a designated security zone until Hezbollah is disarmed. He added that displaced civilians would not be allowed to return immediately.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun described the agreement as a “first step” toward enabling displaced residents to return home “under the sovereignty of the Lebanese state.”
However, supporters of the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement staged protests in Beirut on Friday night, arguing that the agreement undermined efforts to secure a broader regional settlement tied to ongoing US-Iran negotiations.
