The United States and Iran will “stand back for now” after recent days of gunfire that tested the fragile U.S.-Iran deal, a U.S. official said on Sunday.
In Lebanon, continued Israeli attacks against Hezbollah in the south of the country have further strained peace efforts.
Escalation timeline:
Iran attacks a Singapore-flagged container ship near the Strait of Hormuz. US President Donald Trump called the move a “stupid violation” of the original agreement to end the war.
The US military carried out strikes targeting Iranian missile and drone storage sites and coastal radar sites near the Strait of Hormuz.
The United States detected “several drones” but those drones failed to reach their targets, a U.S. official said, as Iran announced it had launched attacks on U.S. military targets in the Middle East.
Hours later, U.S. forces conducted additional strikes against Iranian targets “in direct response to Iran’s continued aggression,” according to U.S. Central Command.
Iran then fired missiles and drones at U.S. facilities in neighboring countries including Kuwait and Bahrain, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps said, Reuters reported. There were no casualties or major damage to U.S. military facilities, Reuters reported, citing U.S. officials.
Meanwhile, in Lebanon, the southern town of Nabatiyeh al-Fawqa was bombed a day after Israel signed an agreement to withdraw its troops from some areas. Israeli forces said they killed a Hezbollah militant and dismantled a rocket launcher in the Nabatiyeh area of southern Lebanon, according to a statement on Telegram.
Bahrain and Kuwait have been targeted by the Iranian government, which has announced that a residential building in Bahrain was heavily damaged in an attack. U.S. officials said the Iranian attack did not affect its intended targets.
Qatar’s Interior Ministry said a Qatari national on board the vessel had died from injuries sustained by debris from “military operations in the area,” without providing more specific details.
Hours later, a Trump administration official said the U.S. and Iran would “keep their distance for now and ships will be free to sail,” but Iran’s position on the issue is not yet clear.
The United States and Iran agreed to meet in Doha, Qatar, on Tuesday for further talks, another US official said.
And just days after signing the latest ceasefire agreement, Lebanon is reporting new Israeli attacks after Israel authorized the continuation of military operations in the country’s south.
