ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iran’s foreign ministry on Tuesday accused the United States of a “gross violation” of the ceasefire in the Persian Gulf over the past 48 hours, warning that Tehran will “leave no act of aggression unanswered.” The statement came hours after the US military said it had carried out “self-defense” strikes inside Iran. Iran’s foreign ministry said in a statement that Washington committed “a blatant violation of the ceasefire over the past 48 hours, particularly through repeated naval harassment against Iranian commercial ships in the Hormuz region.” US Central Command (CENTCOM) spokesperson Captain Tim Hawkins told Fox News on Monday that American forces had “conducted self-defense strikes in southern Iran today to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces.” He said the targets included missile launch sites and boats allegedly attempting to deploy naval mines. The strikes reportedly took place around midnight near the southern Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas. Iranian media affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) reported that at least four IRGC navy members were killed in the attacks. Iran’s state-run broadcaster IRIB reported several loud explosions near Bandar Abbas around midnight local time but did not confirm the US claims. The broadcaster said the situation in the port city remained normal and that authorities were investigating the cause of the blasts. “Without hesitation, the Islamic Republic of Iran will leave no act of aggression unanswered and will not show the slightest hesitation in defending Iran’s sovereignty,” the Iranian foreign ministry warned. The escalation comes amid intensified talks between Tehran and Washington - mediated by Pakistan and other regional countries - aimed at extending the ceasefire reached in early April. The conflict erupted in late February when the US and Israel launched a large-scale aerial campaign targeting Iranian military and nuclear-related sites. Iran responded with missile and drone attacks targeting alleged US assets and military installations across the region, as well as strikes against Israel. Iran’s foreign ministry said the timing of the US attacks - while ceasefire negotiations were ongoing - “once again demonstrated to the governments and peoples of the region and the world that the American regime’s approach toward Iran is based on hostility and a deep misunderstanding of Iran’s nature and the determined and courageous conduct of the Iranian people.”
