US President Donald Trump on Friday condemned the attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz allegedly carried out by Iran, calling them a “foolish violation of our ceasefire agreement.“In a post on Truth Social, Trump said that at least four one-way attack drones launched by Iran targeted ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz. He added that one drone struck the upper deck of a cargo ship, but despite the damage, the vessel was able to continue its journey.“The Islamic Republic of Iran shot at least four One Way Attack Drones at Ships transversing the Strait of Hormuz. One of the Drones solidly hit the upper deck of a large and very expensive Cargo Carrying Ship,” Trump said.“Damage was done, but the Ship was able to proceed on its way. We knocked down three other Drones. Obviously, this is a foolish violation of our Ceasefire Agreement,” he added.After weeks of relative calm in the Strait of Hormuz, a cargo ship was damaged after it was struck by an unknown projectile off the Omani coast in the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday.The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) security agency reported that the incident occurred 7.5 nautical miles (14 kilometres) southeast of Dahit, in Oman’s Musandam exclave.“A cargo vessel has been hit on the starboard side by an unknown projectile, causing damage to the bridge. Master has reported no casualties and no environmental impact,” UKMTO said.Meanwhile, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy on Friday said that transit through the strategic Strait of Hormuz would only be permitted through routes approved by Tehran, despite the IRGC establishing a “communication line” with the US Central Command (CENTCOM) in the strait to prevent incidents that could escalate into military confrontation and facilitate the implementation of provisions under the 14-point memorandum of understanding (MoU).According to Iranian state media, Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), the IRGC Navy warned that vessels seeking to pass through the Strait of Hormuz must follow routes announced by Iran.“The only law that governs this region is still the law of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Revolutionary Guards Navy,” an IRIB reporter said, quoting the IRGC Navy’s position.The report further claimed that three foreign oil tankers attempting to “illegally” transit the Strait of Hormuz and use the Southern Corridor were stopped and diverted towards the Persian Gulf.This comes after the conclusion of the initial round of technical talks under the MoU aimed at ending hostilities in West Asia between the US and Iran in Switzerland, with both sides agreeing to establish a High-Level Committee and a roadmap towards a final agreement within 60 days.According to the joint statement issued by Qatar and Pakistan following the Lake Lucerne Summit in Switzerland’s Burgenstock, the parties agreed to establish a direct communication line during the 60-day negotiation period.“In addition, a communication line between the parties has been formed for the period mentioned in paragraph 5 of the MoU to avoid incidents and miscommunication with the aim of safe passage for commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz,” the statement read.
