Both countries justified their attacks by claiming that the other had initiated the firing, putting the badly damaged agreement in jeopardy.

In a call with ABC News, US President Donald Trump said on late Thursday that the ceasefire remains in effect, insisting that the latest strikes are "just a love trap". In a subsequent Truth Social Post, the American leader went on to claim that the US has "completely destroyed" the Iranians involved in the exchange, which he said included small boats and drones that "dropped ever so beautifully down to the Ocean, very much like a butterfly dropping to its grave!"

He went on to reiterate his warning that Tehran would face further attacks if they do not agree to a nuclear deal. "Just like we knocked them out again today, we'll knock them out a lot harder, and a lot more violently, in the future, if they don't get their Deal signed, FAST!" Trump wrote.

It is pertinent to note that the latest flare-up in the Strait, a crucial global shipping route, came while Iran was reviewing a peace proposal from the United States that aimed to end the war in the region and ramp up nuclear talks.

Both sides trade blame

The US Central Command said in a statement that its forces "intercepted unprovoked Iranian attacks and responded with self-defence strikes" as three US Navy destroyers transited the strait late Thursday. "Iranian forces launched multiple missiles, drones and small boats" as the US ships were passing toward the Gulf of Oman, Centcom said. "No US assets were struck."

"Centcom eliminated inbound threats and targeted Iranian military facilities responsible for attacking U.S. forces, including missile and drone launch sites; command and control locations; and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance nodes," its statement said. "Centcom does not seek escalation but remains positioned and ready to protect American forces," it concluded.

Meanwhile, Iran on late Thursday accused the US of violating the fragile ceasefire by striking multiple targets in and around the strait. "The aggressive, terrorist, and bandit American army, violating the ceasefire, targeted an Iranian tanker that was moving from Iranian coastal waters" toward the strait, an Iranian military official said in a translated statement to state news outlets.

Iran's armed forces "immediately retaliated by attacking US military vessels east of the Strait of Hormuz and south of Chabahar Port, causing significant damage to them," the spokesperson furthered according to the report.

Interestingly, the statement shared by Centcom does not mention the ceasefire, which began on April 8 as a two-week temporary truce and was unilaterally extended by Trump. The tensions continue to remain at an all-time high in the region.