"Practically pointless."
This is how Iran's Foreign Ministry describes the fragile ceasefire with the United States. This is in light of the latest wave of U.S. attacks against the country, which Tehran condemns as "illegal and criminal."
In the Strait of Hormuz, the exchange of fire continues on Thursday.
The U.S. says it has attacked and neutralized a third tanker that this week attempted to break the country's naval blockade of Iranian ports. The U.S. military command CENTCOM wrote on X that it is the Guinea-Bissau-flagged tanker M/T Jalveer, which was attempting to transport oil from Iran through the Gulf of Oman.
Night of attacks
A U.S. fighter jet reportedly fired two Hellfire missiles that hit the ship's engine room. This happened after the U.S. military repeatedly urged the ship to stop, but the call was not heeded, CENTCOM said.
On Thursday night, both the U.S. and Iran carried out attacks. Pro-regime Iranian media reported explosions in the port city of Bandar Abbas, on the island of Qeshm, and in the cities of Minab and Sirik, all of which are located near the Strait of Hormuz.
Issued warning
Iran responded by attacking targets in Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait, claiming to have closed the Strait of Hormuz. Jordan's military said on Thursday it had shot down 20 missiles fired from Iran, without causing any damage.
Iran also announced that it had attacked two ships in the Strait of Hormuz, which is vital for global oil trade, and issued a warning that any ships trying to pass through it would be attacked. According to Iran, the strait has been completely closed to traffic.
The war with Iran began at the end of February with the U.S. and Israel attacking the country. The justification was that Iran was close to producing nuclear weapons. During the spring, both the U.S. and Iran have been blocking the Strait of Hormuz in turn.
