The United States and Iran exchanged fire in the Strait of Hormuz just one day after President Donald Trump strongly signaled an end to hostilities with Tehran. With negotiations fueling hopes for a truce now under strain, both Trump and Iran appear to be refraining from further escalation.
U.S. Central Command said on X, formerly Twitter, Sunday that "a Navy guided-missile destroyer thwarted an unprovoked attack by Iran while transiting the Strait of Hormuz en route to the Gulf of Oman, and returned fire in self-defense." Specifically, when three U.S. destroyers including the USS Truxtun were passing through the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian forces launched multiple missiles and drones and deployed small vessels. U.S. forces struck Iranian military facilities including missile and drone launch bases, command and control centers, and reconnaissance, surveillance and intelligence sites. Fox News, citing a senior U.S. official, reported that the U.S. military attacked Iran's Qeshm Island and Bandar Abbas.
Iran's semi-official Mehr News Agency also reported that explosions were heard in the Qeshm Island and Bandar Abbas area and that two unmanned aerial vehicles were shot down. State-run IRIB television reported that "U.S. forces attacked an Iranian oil tanker, after which enemy forces in the Strait of Hormuz were hit by Iranian missile strikes, sustaining damage and retreating."
With the ceasefire again at risk of collapse following the exchange of fire, Trump downplayed the incident in an interview with ABC News, describing it as "just a love tap" and emphasizing that "the ceasefire is continuing."
Trump's foreign policy agenda as a whole appears to be faltering as his global tariff policy has also taken a hit. The U.S. Court of International Trade ruled that the 10% "global tariff" imposed by the Trump administration under Section 122 of the Trade Act is unlawful. The tariff had been imposed on a temporary basis by the U.S. government after the Supreme Court in February concluded that reciprocal tariffs based on the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) were unlawful.
