US and Iran trade strikes, further straining already fragile truce

DUBAI – The United States and Iran traded strikes across the Middle East on June 10, straining a fragile two-month ceasefire and challenging President Donald Trump’s claims that a deal to end the war is within reach.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards carried out missile and drone attacks on American military bases in Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain in retaliation for US strikes on Iranian targets around the Strait of Hormuz.

The clashes mark one of the biggest exchanges in hostilities since the US and Iran agreed to a ceasefire in April and came after Trump accused Iran of downing an American Apache helicopter near the strait on June 9.

“I believe the response should be very strong, very powerful, and that’s what this one is,” Trump told ABC News.

The escalation in violence deepens doubts about the prospects for a deal to end the war that started on Feb 28 with joint US-Israeli strikes against Iran. Tehran responded by firing on its Gulf neighbours that host US bases and all but choked off the Strait of Hormuz, a vital conduit for oil and gas.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry said on June 10 that the US has damaged the ongoing international diplomatic effort to end the war.

“Unfortunately, the United States is damaging this diplomatic process through the contradictory messages it sends, its repeated shifts in positions and demands, and, worst of all, through repeated violations of the ceasefire,” ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said in a video message carried by Iranian media.

“Any diplomatic process is damaged by the use of force and by resorting to unlawful actions on the ground,” he said.

The latest US strikes targeted Iranian air defence, ground control stations and surveillance radar sites, according to the US military. These lasted around four hours before the US Central Command posted just before 9pm ET (9am, Singapore time) that these had ended.

A US official said almost 20 Iranian targets were struck.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Qeshm island and the port city of Sirik in the Strait of Hormuz came under attack, while explosions were heard in Bandar Abbas and later near Jask at the entrance to the strait, Iranian media reported, citing local sources and residents.

Thousands of Iranians in the southern port town of Sirik lost access to drinking water after US strikes hit two reservoirs in the area, Iranian state media said on June 10.

“Unfortunately, following this attack, 20,000 residents of the region have lost access to safe drinking water, and with temperatures ranging between 45 and 50 deg C, conditions have become extremely difficult and critical for local inhabitants,” Iran’s state television quoted local water company officials as saying.

The IRGC said it attacked US military bases in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan with drones and missiles in response to the new “US aggression”.

Four sites were targeted at the US al-Azraq base in Jordan using long-range missiles, including F-35 fighter jet hangars and a command-and-control centre.

The IRGC warned it is ready to deliver a “crushing and decisive” response to any further US attack.

Jordan’s military said on June 10 it intercepted and shot down five missiles launched from Iran towards Al-Azraq. Debris from the interception operation fell on Jordanian territory but caused no injuries or material damage, it added.

The Kuwaiti army said its air defence systems were engaging hostile aerial targets and urged the public to follow official safety instructions.

Bahrain’s military said it intercepted and destroyed a number of drones and missiles launched by Iran on June 10, describing them as “treacherous” attacks.

In a statement, Iran’s Foreign Ministry condemned US strikes in the country’s south, saying Tehran acted in self-defence.

It warned Gulf states that they would face consequences if their territory is used by American or Israeli forces.

A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said initial assessments showed nearly all missiles and drones launched by Iran were intercepted, and they were not immediately aware of any reports of harm to US personnel or damage to US locations.

Not a big deal?

On June 9, an American Apache helicopter was brought down in waters near Oman’s coast while on patrol by a one-way Iranian attack drone, according to a US official who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Two pilots were uninjured, Trump said.

Iran’s state media cited a military source as saying that no offensive air military operations were conducted in the Strait of Hormuz in the previous 24 hours.

A US Navy surface drone found and rescued the two crew.

The US military’s Central Command gave no reason for the crash. It said the two pilots were rescued after two hours, and that they were in stable condition, a more cautious assessment than Trump’s description.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi did not directly address the helicopter incident, but said in a post on X that foreign forces in the region risk being involved in accidents or crossfire.

“To reduce risk, (the) best solution is for them to leave,” he wrote.

Trump told The Wall Street Journal during a phone call on June 9 that the helicopter incident “wasn’t a big deal”, and stressed that “the pilot is fine”.

However, the episode could well add further strain to efforts to broker a peace deal to end the wider Middle East war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump has repeatedly said Iran and the US are close to an agreement, though there have been few signs of progress.

Fighting between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon has continued, and Tehran has maintained its restrictions on most shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Washington has imposed its own blockade of Iranian ports.

Israel’s military said that it was continuing its strikes against southern Lebanon on June 10, describing the offensive as an effort to target Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants.

Hours after that statement, Israel’s military issued fresh evacuation warnings for residents in at least three towns and villages. REUTERS