US and Iran trade fire, threatening fragile truce

The U.S. military said it carried out strikes on Iranian military targets in response, although Tehran charged that it was Washington that had initiated the exchange of fire.

The latest violence threatens to unravel a fragile truce in effect since April 8 that brought an end to weeks of U.S.-Israeli attacks on the Islamic republic, which has retaliated with strikes across the Middle East and by blocking the strait, a vital route for oil and gas shipments.

The United Arab Emirates said Friday that its air defenses were "engaging missile and drone attacks originating from Iran".

Asked in Washington Thursday if the Iran ceasefire was still on, Trump said: "Yeah, it is. They trifled with us today. We blew them away. They trifled. I call that a trifle."

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a post on X that Iranian forces launched "multiple missiles, drones and small boats" at the three U.S. warships, but none were hit, and that it "eliminated inbound threats and targeted Iranian military facilities responsible."

"CENTCOM does not seek escalation but remains positioned and ready to protect American forces," it said.

For its part, Iran's central military command accused the United States of violating the ceasefire by attacking an oil tanker and another ship, saying Tehran's forces "immediately and in retaliation attacked American military vessels."

Trump this week fueled hopes of a deal, saying an agreement could be near even as he again threatened to return to bombing if Tehran refused to back down.

He doubled down on that stance after Thursday's clash, posting on his Truth Social platform: "We'll knock them out a lot harder, and a lot more violently, in the future, if they don't get their Deal signed, FAST!" he said.

Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said Tehran would communicate its position to mediator Pakistan "after finalizing its views."

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had struck an optimistic tone prior to the exchanges of fire on Thursday, saying in televised remarks: "I firmly believe that this ceasefire will turn into a long-term ceasefire."

But, inside Iran, civilians were cynical.

"Neither side in these negotiations is really capable of reaching an agreement," 42-year-old photographer Shervin told AFP reporters in Paris, messaging from Tehran.

"This is another one of Trump's games; otherwise, why are so many warships and military forces being sent toward Iran?"

Following the start of the war with U.S.-Israeli attacks on February 28, Iran largely shuttered the Strait of Hormuz.

Around 1,500 ships and 20,000 international crew are now trapped in the Gulf region because of the conflict, the secretary-general of the UN's International Maritime Organization, Arsenio Dominguez, told a Maritime Convention of the Americas meeting in Panama.

Trump had this week briefly launched a naval operation to force open the strait to commercial vessels, only to stand it down within hours, citing progress on negotiations with Iran.

The U.S. president -- who has lambasted Europe for not backing his war against Iran -- said Thursday he had a "great call" with European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, saying they were "completely united that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon."