Will Iran-US ceasefire hold? Fresh strikes push truce to the brink

The fragile peace truce between the US and Iran is once again at the verge of collapse in the wake of fresh exchange of strikes between the two countries.

The renewed conflict started on Monday when it was reported that Iran struck the oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz. The ships suffered from heavy damage but no casualties were reported.

In response, the US Central Command launched attacks on over 80 targets including more than 60 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) small boats in Hormuz strait.

According to the Iranian state media, the strikes hit Qeshm island, Bandar Abbas and Sirik, causing multiple injuries to people.

In a latest development, IRGC claimed to be targeting US military sites in Kuwait and Bahrain on Wednesday.

The group launched a joint missile and drone strike against US military installations in Bahrain and Kuwait, including the US Fifth Fleet headquarters in Port Salman and the Ali Al Salem Air Base.

The IRGC also claimed to have shot down a U.S. MQ-9 drone over Bushehr province, which they alleged was interfering with their operations.

Breach of ceasefire:

The latest wave of military strikes have drawn fiery responses from both countries. The CENTCOM issued a statement, “The unwarranted aggression by Iranian forces is a clear and dangerous violation of the ceasefire and undermines freedom of navigation.”

On the other hand, Iranian officials and top negotiators also slammed the US acts of aggression and if Washington tried to interfere in Strait of Hormuz, they will face a “crushing response” from Iran, as warned by Iran's ​top joint military command, Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters.

Parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf also accused the US of violating the ceasefire by not just carrying out attacks but also imposing renewed oil sanctions.

"The era of bullying and extortion is over," Qalibaf said in a post on X. "We don't fold."

Harlan Ullman, the chairman of the Killowen Group and a retired US naval officer, says the US-Iran strikes are a “very serious” development that could spill over into a regional war.

“This is a very precarious moment, and anything could happen, including an escalation,” he added as reported by AL Jazeera.

“We’ll wait and see what happens in the next few days, but this is very, very serious. Yet, it’s in the interest of both sides to keep the lid more or less on, because a major regional war is in nobody’s interest.”