Bahrain said Saturday that Iranian drones targeted the kingdom, and a tanker was struck in the Strait of Hormuz, widening the fighting around the strategic waterway for a third consecutive day despite an agreement signed earlier this month aimed at winding down the U.S.-Iran war.
The back-and-forth attacks add pressure on a preliminary peace deal already under stress from continued fighting in Lebanon and disagreements over nuclear inspections, raising questions about whether the agreement can hold. President Trump has said his goal in signing the deal was to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and relieve the economic stress caused by the disruption of oil supplies.
Bahrain did not detail any damage from the Saturday attacks. Iran did not specifically claim responsibility for the drone assault. But state media said the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had carried out strikes against American targets in the region, and the IRGC reasserted Iran’s claim of control over traffic in the strait.
The U.K. Maritime Trade Operations Center, a Royal Navy-affiliated body, said the ship struck Saturday was hit in the bridge by an unidentified projectile. The Joint Maritime Information Center, a U.S.-U.K. navy body, raised its maritime security threat level in the Strait of Hormuz to “substantial” on Saturday, citing the new attacks on merchant vessels.
The U.S. Central Command did not respond to requests for comment on the Iranian claim of an attack.
The outbreak of violence began Thursday, when the U.S. said Iran struck a ship that transited the strait via a path near the coast of Oman that Tehran had warned shippers not to use. Trump called the attack a violation of the ceasefire and ordered strikes on Iranian positions along the strait.
Despite the attacks, both Trump and Iran have shown signs of wanting to keep any fighting contained, according to the Wall Street Journal. The two sides engaged in tit-for-tat skirmishes throughout a two-month ceasefire reached in early April, but that did not derail efforts to sign a memorandum of understanding that aimed to reopen the strait and end the U.S. blockade on Iranian ports.
Both sides have continued to discuss the implementation of the deal. Political challenges remain: Iran insists a final deal will allow it to collect revenue from commercial ships transiting the waterway, and Iran says it will not surrender its nuclear program. The U.S. also hopes to negotiate an end to Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.