US-Iran agreement tested as new attacks are reported in the Middle East

New attacks were reported in the Middle East on Saturday, straining an interim agreement between the United States and Iran that aims to end the war while negotiations continue.

Both sides are now accusing each other of violating the ceasefire agreement just over a week after the memorandum of understanding was signed.

Iran launched a drone assault targeting Bahrain, home to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet. A ship in the Strait of Hormuz separately came under attack, though no one immediately claimed responsibility.

An earlier attack from Tehran on a commercial ship in the strait prompted the U.S. military to launch a new round of strikes Friday. U.S. Central Command said in a press release that the strikes hit Iranian missile and drone storage locations and coastal radar sites.

“The unwarranted aggression against commercial shipping by Iranian forces clearly violated the ceasefire. Furthermore, Iran’s dangerous behavior undermined freedom of navigation as commerce increasingly flows through the vital international trade corridor,” CENTCOM added.

Following the U.S. strikes, Ebrahim Azizi, who heads the Iranian parliament’s national security commission, said President Donald Trump “has no commitment to the principles of negotiation or a ceasefire.”

“This reckless violation of the ceasefire will, as always, lead to retreat and regret on their part,” Azizi wrote.

The exchange of fire is disrupting efforts to resume normal traffic in the strait, a crucial oil shipping route. It could potentially influence gas prices in the U.S., which have been trending downward in recent days.

Iran has insisted that transiting ships must respect its rules in the strait and use certain routes that it governs.

U.S. and Gulf Arab states have rejected Tehran’s demands. There is an effort to establish an alternate route to evacuate ships and undercut Iran’s leverage. A multinational maritime body overseen by the U.S. Navy said Saturday that it would expand a route near Oman to allow for both inbound and outbound traffic.

Long-term management of the strait remains a key issue in ongoing negotiations.