AGENCIES

Iran yesterday accused the United States of violating the peace deal aimed at ending the Middle East war after Washington launched strikes on Iranian territory and Tehran retaliated by targeting US sites in the Gulf.

The exchange of fire, which followed Washington’s accusation that Tehran attacked a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz earlier this week, cast fresh doubt on efforts to keep the vital waterway open while both sides negotiate a broader, permanent settlement.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) said its strikes on Iranian missile and drone storage sites and coastal radar positions were a response to “unwarranted aggression against commercial shipping by Iranian forces” that “clearly violated the ceasefire”.

Iran condemned the attacks after its Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) launched retaliatory strikes.

“These brutal attacks, which targeted Iranian coastal surveillance facilities, are a blatant violation” of the memorandum of understanding ending the war, the foreign ministry said.

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