Iran says US violated ceasefire with strikes near Hormuz
Iran accused the United States on Tuesday of breaching a fragile ceasefire with strikes near the Strait of Hormuz, threatening efforts to end nearly seven weeks of conflict. Washington said the attacks were defensive, targeting missile sites and vessels allegedly laying mines.
Issued on: 27/05/2026 - 00:31Modified: 27/05/2026 - 01:34
3 min Reading time Share By: FRANCE 24
Iran said on Tuesday the United States had violated a ceasefire by striking targets near the contested Strait of Hormuz, potentially complicating efforts to bring the war to a close.
Iran's foreign ministry said US strikes in Iran's southern Hormozgan province, where Iranian media reported sounds of explosions early on Tuesday, represented a "gross violation" of a tenuous ceasefire in place for nearly seven weeks. The US said its attacks were defensive in nature, targeting missile sites and boats attempting to lay mines.
Read moreUS military sais it carried 'self-defense' strikes in first since ceasefire
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, meanwhile, said it could take "a few days" to negotiate a deal to halt the conflict, after both sides had previously indicated progress on an initial agreement that would end hostilities and restart shipping through the Strait. That initial agreement would give negotiators 60 days to tackle more complex issues including Iran's nuclear program.
Iranian media reported that the country's negotiators had been pushing for the memorandum to include the release of billions of dollars of frozen assets.
Read moreUS strikes Iranian targets amid agreement talks
Oil rises again
Following the US strikes, Rubio told reporters on his plane in India that the Strait of Hormuz had to be open "one way or the other".
The war, which began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, has caused an unprecedented oil supply shock, pushing up the costs of fuel, fertiliser and food.
Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, which normally carries about a fifth of global trade in oil and liquefied natural gas, has been a fraction of its usual level since the war began. Iran's Revolutionary Guards said 25 oil tankers and other vessels had passed through the strait with its permission over the past 24 hours.
Global benchmark Brent crude futuresLCOc1 rose by about 3.5% on Tuesday to around $100 a barrel.
'Clock cannot be turned back,' supreme leader says
The Revolutionary Guards said on Tuesday they reserved the right to retaliate to the strikes. They said air defence units had downed a US drone and fired at another drone and a fighter jet which they said had entered Iranian airspace over the Gulf region.
In comments posted on his Telegram channel on the occasion of the annual hajj pilgrimage, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said: "From now on, the slogans 'Death to America' and 'Death to Israel' will be the slogans of the Islamic nation and the oppressed people of the world."
US President Donald Trump has previously cited the slogans while justifying military action against Iran.
Frozen Iranian funds
Iranian and US officials have indicated that recent indirect talks made progress on a memorandum of understanding, or initial deal, that would lead to further negotiations over a final agreement.
Iran's top negotiator, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, returned to Iran from Qatar after seeking the release of around $24 billion of frozen Iranian funds as part of the initial agreement, Iranian media reported. Iran's Fars news agency cited a source saying the funds were the last sticking point in the deal.
Iran also wants a stop to the conflict in Lebanon, where a mid-April ceasefire has failed to halt fighting between Israel and Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement on Tuesday that Israel was "deepening its operations in Lebanon" and operating with "large forces in the field."
Initial deal would establist 30-day framework
According to Iranian sources, an initial deal would end hostilities on all fronts, get traffic moving through the strait over 30 days, and possibly provide some financial relief. More difficult issues such as Iran's nuclear program would be negotiated in a second phase.
Iran has been letting some ships through the strait, giving preference to vessels linked to countries with which it has close ties, Reuters has reported.
Trump has said his key aim in the war is to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon with its highly enriched uranium. Tehran denies any such plans.
Trump has also used the crisis to call on more Arab and Muslim states including Saudi Arabia to sign up to the Abraham Accords, which aim to normalize ties with Israel.
Saudi Arabia has said it would not sign the accords without a roadmap to Palestinian statehood.
Thousands have been killed in the wider conflict, mostly in Lebanon and Iran. Inside Iran, internet monitoring group Netblocks reported a partial restoration of connectivity after a nearly 90-day blackout.
(FRANCE 24 with Reuters)
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