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Iran’s Foreign Ministry accused the United States on Tuesday of violating the temporary ceasefire following clashes over the past two days around the Strait of Hormuz.
In a written statement, the ministry said the U.S. forces had breached the truce in southern Iran.
“The terrorist army of the United States committed a clear ceasefire violation in the Hormozgan region over the past 48 hours,” the statement said.
The ministry added that Iran “would not leave any aggression unanswered and would not hesitate to defend itself.”
The statement came after Iran’s semiofficial Fars news agency reported that U.S. and Israeli aircraft struck Iranian vessels south of Larak Island near the Strait of Hormuz, killing “several Iranian nationals.”
While Fars did not specify the death toll, some media reports said four people were killed.
The claims could not be independently verified.
The United States said on Monday it had carried out “self-defense strikes" in southern Iran targeting missile launchers and boats allegedly laying mines.
“U.S. forces conducted self-defense strikes in southern Iran today to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces,” U.S. Central Command spokesperson Capt. Tim Hawkins told Fox News.
"Targets included missile launch sites and Iranian boats attempting to place mines," he said, adding that the U.S. Central Command will continue to defend U.S. forces while using restraint during the ongoing ceasefire.
CENTCOM did not immediately respond to requests for further confirmation.
Hawkins did not provide additional details on the attacks.
The Iranian media earlier reported explosions in the southern city of Bandar Abbas and in areas near Sirik and Jask along the Gulf coast.
Fars said residents in Bandar Abbas heard multiple explosions, while similar sounds were also reported around Sirik and Jask. The exact source and location of the blasts were not immediately clear.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Tuesday it shot down a U.S. MQ-9 drone and claimed that an RQ-4 drone and an F-35 fighter jet also entered Iranian airspace before retreating.
The aircraft entered Iranian airspace over the Gulf region, the IRGC said in a statement carried by Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency.
The force added that it reserved the right “to respond to any ceasefire violation by the aggressor U.S. army.”
Earlier on Tuesday, Fars again reported that U.S. and Israeli aircraft struck Iranian vessels south of Larak Island, killing “several Iranian nationals.”
The developments come amid Pakistan-led mediation efforts aimed at ending the conflict that began with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran on Feb. 28 and was followed by Iranian retaliation.
A ceasefire took effect on April 8 and was later extended indefinitely by U.S. President Donald Trump.
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