US strike on Iranian-flagged tankers triggers reprisals as fragile truce wavers
A US fighter jet disabled two Iranian-flagged tankers in the Gulf of Oman on Friday, setting off retaliatory strikes and jolting a fragile truce as Washington said it was awaiting Tehran’s reply to a proposal aimed at extending a ceasefire and restarting talks.
US Central Command said an F/A-18 Super Hornet used precision munitions against the two vessels in the Gulf of Oman, the approach to the Strait of Hormuz, to prevent them from continuing to Iran. Iranian officials accused Washington of violating the ceasefire with the tanker strikes and said the action threatened ongoing diplomacy.
An Iranian military official told local media the country’s navy had “responded to the violation of the ceasefire and to American terrorism with strikes” and added that “the clashes have now ceased.” The incident followed a flare-up overnight around the strait, control of which an adviser to Iran’s supreme leader recently compared to possessing “an atomic bomb.” In Rome, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said it was “unacceptable” for Tehran to control the strategic waterway and indicated Washington expected a response from Iran later in the day, expressing hope it would be “a serious offer.” At the White House, President Donald Trump said, “I’m getting a letter supposedly tonight, so we’ll see how that goes.” Washington has sent Iran, via Pakistani mediators, a proposal to extend the truce in the Gulf to allow talks on a final settlement of a conflict launched 10 weeks ago with US-Israeli strikes on Iran.
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said the proposal remained “under review,” according to Iranian media. In a letter to the UN secretary-general and Security Council, Iran’s UN envoy, Amir Saeed Irvani, accused the United States of violating the ceasefire with the attacks on the tankers.
Diplomatic efforts continued elsewhere. Qatar’s prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, met US Vice President JD Vance in Washington on Friday to discuss the Pakistani-led push for a permanent peace. During the war, Iran has repeatedly attacked sites in Qatar, citing the emirate’s role as host of a major US air base.
The standoff widened beyond the Gulf. A parallel ceasefire in Lebanon was under strain as Iran-backed Hezbollah launched missiles and drones at military bases in Israel in retaliation for a recent attack on Beirut and ongoing strikes in the south. Lebanese authorities reported 11 people killed on Friday in the south.
Separately, satellite imagery indicated an oil slick spreading off the west coast of Iran’s Kharg Island, a key export terminal in the Gulf north of the Strait of Hormuz. The apparent spill, whose cause was not immediately clear, appeared to cover more than 20 square miles (52 square kilometres), according to global monitor Orbital EOS.
Kharg Island sits at the heart of Iran’s oil export industry, a mainstay of its economy. The conflict has reshaped traffic through the strait. After fighting began on February 28, Iran largely closed the channel, roiling global markets and driving up oil prices.
The United States later imposed its own blockade of Iranian ports. On Sunday, Trump announced a US naval operation to reopen the strait to commercial shipping, but he dropped the plan on Tuesday in favour of renewed negotiations.
Saudi sources said on Friday the kingdom had denied permission for US forces to use its bases and airspace for the Hormuz operation, with one saying Riyadh “felt it would just escalate the situation and would not work.” With the tanker incident heightening tensions and back-channel exchanges underway, attention now turns to Tehran’s anticipated reply and whether the shaky truce in the Gulf—and in Lebanon—can hold long enough to restart broader talks.