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The United States and Iran have traded blows in the first such confrontation since an initial deal was reached on June 15 to end the months-long conflict.
The two sides traded accusations, accusing each other of violating the terms of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by US President Donald Trump and his Iranian counterpart, Masoud Pezeshkian.
At the heart of the latest escalation is the struggle for control of the Strait of Hormuz, which was closed by Iran in response to the US-Israel war. Tehran has used the waterway – a global chokepoint – as a geostrategic hub.
So, what has prompted the US to attack Iran’s territory and where has Tehran returned fire? Will it end the relationship between the two parties?
Where has the US struck and why?
The US Central Command said a military aircraft struck a missile and drone depot and a radar depot off the coast of Iran late Friday, “as a strong response to yesterday’s attack on a naval vessel passing through the Strait of Hormuz”.
On Thursday, the Singapore-flagged merchant ship Ever Lovely was hit by an unidentified projectile off the coast of Oman. Iran did not accept the attack, but it did not deny it.
President Trump called the attack a “senseless violation” of the ceasefire agreement, adding that the US military had also intercepted three other drones launched by the same group.
Later, the US military released a black-and-white video of the explosion, which it called “unknown,” and showed that “the indiscriminate attacks on commercial shipments by the Iranian military are in clear violation of the ceasefire”.
“Iran’s dangerous behavior has disrupted freedom of movement as trade flows through an important international trade route,” the US military added, referring to increased traffic in the Strait of Hormuz since the agreement was reached.
It added that the US would continue to provide “safe passage and assistance” to commercial vessels transiting the route.
Iran said a shell hit the area around a stadium in Sirik in the southern Hormozgan province.
Iran’s Mehr news agency quoted a port official in eastern Hormozgan, who said there was no damage to the port of Sirik – and that it was functioning well without damage to its equipment.
Where has Iran struck and why?
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it responded by targeting US forces in the region. Tehran did not elaborate on what may have been hit.
In a statement to the state news agency IRNA, the IRGC warned, “If we resort to repeated acts of violence, our response will be greater than this.”
On Saturday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bahrain condemned the “Iranian drone attack on its territory”, describing it as a serious violation of sovereignty and international law. He said the incident put civilians at risk and undermined de-escalation efforts, placing responsibility on Tehran for escalating the conflict.
An oil tanker was hit by an unidentified projectile, United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said on Saturday, adding that all crew members were safe.
Late on Thursday, the IRGC warned of another channel in the waterway. Only measures approved by Tehran can ensure safe navigation in the waterway, it said.
The warning came after Oman announced a new route south of the strait, close to the Omani coast.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran criticized the recent actions of the US, saying that the purpose of “the coastal observation center violates Article 1 of the Memorandum of Understanding,” which calls for an end to hostilities on all sides. Tehran said the US attack also violated the UN Charter.
Later Mohsen Rezaei, an adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, accused the US of violating Article 5 of the MoU, which states that the safe passage of commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz should be restored.
Article 5 also states that Iran and Oman will discuss future navigation and maritime activities in the waterway.
Who controls the Strait of Hormuz?
Iran says it retains control – and the right to manage – the waterway, which has been Tehran’s mainstay in negotiations with the US and Israel.
Iran’s blockade of the Strait has created a global energy crisis. Higher US oil prices as a result of the war have piled up political pressure on Trump to end it.
Tehran has been seeking to impose tolls or fines on ships passing through the waterway. Its leaders said that the situation would never return to its pre-war condition. The US and Gulf countries rejected the idea of paying Iran for the trip.
Iran first released its official navigation map in April, directing ships to sail closer to Iran’s coast than before the conflict, and re-establishing a maritime navigation agency.
Kazem Gharibabadi, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran, said that “any reliable policy must be based on cooperation with Iran and the provisions of the fifth paragraph of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding”.
According to the agreement, Iran agreed to “make arrangements using its best efforts to allow commercial ships to sail without payment, for only 60 days, from the Persian Gulf to the Sea of Oman and vice versa”.
It also offers discussions between Iran, Oman and other Gulf countries on future plans to regulate navigation in the waterway “in accordance with international law and the sovereignty of the countries on the Strait of Hormuz”.
The agreement does not specify what will happen after the first 60 days.
On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Iran would not be allowed to impose fines or fines on ships sailing in the waters.
The two sides have set 60 days to agree on a final agreement.
Al Jazeera’s Resul Serdar Atas, reporting from Tehran, said the latest escalation is the biggest problem in the ongoing negotiations.
“The reason why the Iranian people are insisting on this (controlling Hormuz) is because the Strait of Hormuz is the main channel that the Iranian people have. They believe that if they lose that coercive tool, their hand will be very weak at the negotiating table,” he said.
Is the MoU ending?
Trita Parsi, senior vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, told Al Jazeera that the latest protests “put the MoU in serious trouble”.
“On the one hand, the US and Iran may continue to shoot each other in the Strait of Hormuz,” he said. “On the other hand, the Israeli-Lebanese agreement seems to contradict the MoU by allowing Israel to continue occupying parts of Lebanon.
“Together, the odds against the MoU are much higher,” he said.
Last Monday, after the first talks in Switzerland, the mediators said that Washington and Tehran agreed to establish new channels of communication to ensure that the Strait of Hormuz is open and end the war in Lebanon.
But this did not prevent the recent military conflicts. “If they have disagreements about how the MoU is being implemented, they can pick up the phone. But violence will be met with violence,” US Vice President JD Vance said on X.
Andrea Dessi of the American University of Rome believes that the latest escalation shows that “the MoU is very fragile and could collapse at any time”.
“Obviously, it’s in the interest of both sides, Iran and the United States, for this to continue to be a major conflict,” he said.
“Both sides have a real interest in showing that their ability to control or dictate the crisis is in their hands,” the expert said.
“So, this is creating tension and a conflict that could end at any time.”
