Iran claims strikes on US-linked targets, raising Middle East tensions 9 days after truce deal

By Ahn Hyo-jung, The Herald Business

Iran said it struck targets linked to US forces in response to American attacks, reigniting tensions in the Middle East just nine days after the two countries signed a truce agreement.

Iran's Foreign Ministry said in a statement Friday (local time) that US airstrikes had violated the UN Charter and the memorandum of understanding the two countries signed to end the war, according to Reuters.

Tehran characterized the strikes as defensive and warned Gulf states not to allow the United States to attack Iran from their territory.

The confrontation escalated through a series of military exchanges. The US had earlier struck missile and drone storage facilities and coastal radar stations in southern Iran after Iranian forces attacked commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps then declared the US airstrikes a truce violation and launched retaliatory strikes targeting American military bases in the Middle East.