▲ U.S. President Donald Trump
The United States and Iran have continued to clash in the Strait of Hormuz even after reaching a tentative agreement on a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to end the war.
The U.S. military announced that it shot down several Iranian suicide drones that were flying toward the Strait of Hormuz on June 12 (local time).
The U.S. military claimed that the drones were attempting to strike commercial vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran's semi-official Mehr News Agency also reported that explosions were detected in the waters near the port of Sirik on Iran's southern coast and Qeshm Island.
With the U.S. and Iran nearing the signing of the war-ending MOU, clashes between the two sides centered on the Strait of Hormuz appear to be continuing.
Iran is attempting to exercise control over the strait by launching drone attacks on merchant ships attempting to pass through without the approval of its military.
In response, the U.S. military is continuing its armed countermeasures, including shooting down Iranian drones that threaten merchant vessels.
Iran has officially stated its position that it will continue to maintain control over the Strait of Hormuz even after signing the war-ending MOU with the U.S., with the ultimate goal of collecting "fees."
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated on state television that day, "The issue of managing the Strait of Hormuz will not return to the state it was in before the war," maintaining the policy of imposing "service fees" on ships passing through the strait.
Observers point out that this represents a direct clash between Iran's plan to effectively turn the Strait of Hormuz into its internal waters and forcibly collect "tolls," and the U.S. vision of returning the strait to an international waterway where free passage is guaranteed, as it was before the war.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.