Trump calls Iran’s drone attack on cargo ship 'foolish violation' of ceasefire
The US president stopped short of issuing new threats, but called Thursday's drone attack "foolish."
WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump on Friday accused Iran of violating its memorandum of understanding with the United States after an Iranian drone struck a Singaporean-flagged cargo vessel that transited the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday.
"The Islamic Republic of Iran shot at least four one way attack drones at ships traversing the Strait of Hormuz," Trump wrote on his Truth Social media site on Friday. The cargo ship was damaged in the strike, but no injuries were reported, the UK's Maritime Trade Operations, a monitoring agency, reported Thursday.
"We knocked down three other drones. Obviously, this is a foolish violation of our ceasefire agreement," Trump further wrote, without elaborating.
The drone strike on the cargo vessel was the first reported Iranian attack on a commercial ship since the United States and Iran signed a 60-day ceasefire extension last week, after which both sides took steps to lift their respective blockades. Thursday's attack led the UN's maritime agency to temporarily suspend its efforts to guide stranded ships through the strait.
The strike came as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Bahrain, which hosts the US Navy's Fifth Fleet, for a Gulf Cooperation Council ministers meeting, which issued a statement rejecting Iran's claims of control over the strait.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
