Iran war day 120 : Tehran condemns US strikes , says it violates MoU

What Happened

The US and Iran traded strikes for the first time since signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) last week. US Central Command (CENTCOM) said it targeted Iranian missile and drone storage locations, as well as coastal radar sites, in retaliation for a drone attack on a cargo ship a day earlier in the Strait of Hormuz, which US President Donald Trump attributed to Iran. Iran's Foreign Ministry condemned the US strikes as a 'blatant violation' of the UN Charter and a 'clear breach of Paragraph 1 of the Memorandum of Understanding.' The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy claimed it responded by targeting US military deployment sites in the region, though no US targets were confirmed hit by publication time. Iranian MP Ebrahim Azizi, head of parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, accused the US of attacking during negotiations and asserted Iran's control over the Strait of Hormuz. Concurrently, a US-brokered framework agreement between Israel and Lebanon was rejected by Hezbollah, and Israeli forces bombed near Markaba in southern Lebanon.

Key Actors

Why It Matters

The exchange of strikes directly threatens the nascent diplomatic process under the MoU, with Iran's IRGC framing the US action as a breach and asserting its control over the Strait of Hormuz—a critical global energy chokepoint that Tehran views as its ultimate leverage. The IRGC's claim of retaliatory strikes, even if unconfirmed, signals a potential escalation spiral. The simultaneous US-brokered Israel-Lebanon framework, rejected by Hezbollah, adds regional instability, as Israeli forces continue operations in southern Lebanon.

Watch For

The next round of US-Iran talks will test whether the MoU holds; any follow-up IRGC strikes on US assets or further US retaliatory actions; UN Security Council discussions on Strait of Hormuz safety; Hezbollah's response to the Israel-Lebanon framework and Israeli military actions; official confirmations of damage or casualties from IRGC's claimed retaliation.