U.S. and Iran trade fire in Strait of Hormuz; each claims other shot first

The U.S. and Iran opened fire in the Strait of Hormuz, with each side claiming the other initiated the attack.

The renewal of hostilities further imperils the two countries’ ceasefire agreement, which had already been badly damaged by repeated accusations that its terms are being breached.

President Donald Trump, in a call with an ABC News reporter later Thursday, insisted that the ceasefire remains in effect, saying the strikes are “just a love tap.”

In a subsequent Truth Social post, Trump claimed the U.S. “completely destroyed” the Iranians involved in the exchange, which he said included small boats and drones that “dropped ever so beautifully down to the Ocean, very much like a butterfly dropping to its grave!”

He reiterated that Iran will face further attacks if they do not agree to a nuclear deal.

“Just like we knocked them out again today, we’ll knock them out a lot harder, and a lot more violently, in the future, if they don’t get their Deal signed, FAST!” Trump wrote.

The flare-up in the strait, a top global oil-shipping route and a central chokepoint in the ongoing war, came as Iran was reportedly reviewing a U.S. proposal that would end the war and tee up further nuclear talks.

U.S. Central Command, in a statement, said its forces “intercepted unprovoked Iranian attacks and responded with self-defense strikes” as three U.S. Navy destroyers transited the strait late Thursday.

“Iranian forces launched multiple missiles, drones and small boats” as the U.S. ships were passing toward the Gulf of Oman, CENTCOM said. “No U.S. assets were struck.”

CENTCOM “eliminated inbound threats and targeted Iranian military facilities responsible for attacking U.S. forces including missile and drone launch sites; command and control locations; and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance nodes,” its statement said.

“CENTCOM does not seek escalation but remains positioned and ready to protect American forces.”

Earlier, Iran accused the U.S. of violating the two countries’ fragile ceasefire by striking multiple targets in and around the strait.

“The aggressive, terrorist, and bandit American army, violating the ceasefire, targeted an Iranian tanker that was moving from Iranian coastal waters” toward the strait, an Iranian military official said in a translated statement to state news outlets.

Iran’s armed forces “immediately retaliated by attacking US military vessels east of the Strait of Hormuz and south of Chabahar Port, causing significant damage to them,” the spokesperson said, according to the reported statement.

CENTCOM’s statement does not mention the ceasefire, which began on April 8 as a two-week temporary truce and was unilaterally extended by Trump.

The White House, asked for comment on the strikes, referred CNBC to CENTCOM’s statement.