Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Craine said that Iranian attacks on shipping in the Persian Gulf and energy infrastructure in the UAE did not amount to significant violations of the ceasefire.
On Monday, Iran fired missiles at a US destroyer as a warning shot, an Iranian drone caused a large fire at the Fujairah Petroleum Industries Zone, and at least two vessels were hit in the Gulf. The Iranian attacks came as the US attempted to implement “Project Freedom” to restore commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
On Tuesday, Gen Caine said that the Iranian ceasefire violations were not significant enough for the US to abandon the four-week-long truce with Iran. “Since the ceasefire was announced, Iran has fired at commercial vessels nine times and seized two container ships, and they’ve attacked U.S. forces more than ten times—all below the threshold of restarting major combat operations at this point,” he said.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth added that the ceasefire is not over.
The truce was brokered by Pakistan last month. Initially, the ceasefire was intended to give the US and Iran space to negotiate a full end to the conflict. However, talks have broken down, and the two sides remain far apart on key issues.
On Tuesday, the Pakistani Foreign Ministry said “significant progress” had been made in negotiations. Neither Washington nor Tehran has commented on Islamabad’s statement.
The ceasefire was also intended to halt fighting in Lebanon. Israel is attempting to seize southern Lebanon and disarm Hezbollah. While the fighting has slowed from the pre-truce phase of the war, Israeli strikes continue as Hezbollah is targeting IDF forces occupying Lebanon.
