WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Friday slammed Iran for carrying out a drone attack in the Strait of Hormuz, calling it a "foolish" violation of the ceasefire in the Middle East war.
"One of the Drones solidly hit the upper deck of a large and very expensive Cargo Carrying Ship" while three others were shot down, Trump posted on his Truth Social platform, in an apparent reference to an attack on a vessel the day before.
"Obviously, this is a foolish violation of our Ceasefire Agreement," Trump added.
The British maritime security agency UKMTO announced on Thursday that a cargo ship in the strait was "hit on the starboard side by an unknown projectile, causing damage to the bridge," but reported no casualties.
It said the incident occurred just 7.5 nautical miles (14 kilometers) off Oman's coast.
The development came during a fragile time for the US and Iran as they work to negotiate a permanent end to the war. Iran has increasingly challenged the region and the US over its control of the Strait of Hormuz, even with the current interim deal it reached with the US last week.
The attack on the cargo ship happened while a United Nations maritime agency was beginning an operation to move stranded ships out of the strait this week, using an alternative route, hugging the shores of Oman rather than sailing through the central part of the strait.
The International Maritime Organization halted the evacuations after the attack and said on Friday they won’t resume until there are guarantees that the other ships won’t be attacked.
About 115 ships were able to move out of the strait in recent days, leaving about 500 still in the area, said Arsenio Dominguez, the agency’s secretary-general.
The opening of the alternative passage through the strait was expected to relieve pressure on the world economy and remove Iran’s main source of leverage in ongoing peace talks with the US.
The US and Iran are still negotiating terms of the deal, including issues such as getting ships through the key strait and addressing the future of Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium. Under the interim deal, the two sides have 60 days to work out the details.