Iran accuses US of violating truce after attacks in country's south amid negotiations

Iran has accused the United States of violating the existing ceasefire, which began on April 8, following overnight attacks on positions in the southern province of Hormozgan. Tehran asserts that these actions demonstrate Washington's "bad faith" amid ongoing peace negotiations.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry issued a strong condemnation, labeling the alleged U.S. military actions within the last 48 hours as "aggressive" and a "flagrant violation" of the UN Charter and the April 8 ceasefire. The ministry also denounced supposed acts of "maritime piracy" targeting Iranian commercial vessels, linking them to a naval blockade imposed by Washington on Iranian ships and ports since April 13.

While the Iranian diplomatic apparatus did not provide specific details about the attacks, it warned that the U.S. government is "responsible for all consequences" and vowed that the Islamic Republic "will not leave them unanswered." These alleged violations, Iran argues, occurred while diplomatic contacts, mediated by Pakistan, were intensifying to reach a peace agreement, underscoring a perceived "bad faith" and "non-compliance with commitments" by Washington.

Conversely, the U.S. Central Command stated that it carried out "self-defense" attacks in southern Iran targeting missile launch sites and Iranian vessels. Simultaneously, Iranian media reported significant explosions in the southern city of Bandar Abbas around midnight. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced it had shot down a U.S. MQ-9 drone and fired upon an F-35 fighter and another drone for allegedly violating Iranian airspace in the Persian Gulf region, warning of reciprocal action against any ceasefire violations by the U.S.