Daijiworld Media Network - Washington
Washington, Aug 1: The White House has indicated that US President Donald Trump is considering fresh military strikes against Iran, as Washington presses Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and comply with the terms of a truce agreement that collapsed shortly after it was reached last month.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Iran had violated the memorandum of understanding signed with the United States by allegedly attacking commercial vessels and killing American soldiers.
"President Trump is not going to stand by and allow this terrorist behavior to occur. Iran will continue to pay until they come to the table in what President Trump deems a meaningful way," she said.
Speaking to reporters during a Cabinet meeting at Camp David in Maryland, Trump signalled that military action against Iran could continue.
"We'll be hitting them very hard. At some point they're going to say, 'We just can't take it anymore,'" he said.
There were no reported US strikes on Iran overnight. However, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed it had struck two oil tankers attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, while Iranian state media reported that four other tankers had turned back. The reports did not specify the ownership of the vessels or whether there were any casualties.
Iran also launched drones towards Kuwait, which hosts US military forces. Kuwait's Defence Ministry said its armed forces intercepted the drones within Kuwaiti airspace, preventing casualties, though falling debris caused material damage. Iranian state media said the drone attack targeted an air base in Kuwait in retaliation for US strikes carried out a day earlier.
Meanwhile, Hamas announced that it had agreed to begin a phased disarmament process under a proposed US-backed agreement aimed at ending the conflict in Gaza. Under the reported framework, Israel would halt military operations and gradually withdraw its forces from the territory.
Hamas, however, said surrendering its heavy weapons would depend on the eventual establishment of an independent Palestinian state, a condition strongly opposed by the current Israeli government.
Despite the reported breakthrough, Israeli airstrikes continued across Gaza on Friday, killing at least one Palestinian and injuring four others, including a child, according to local hospital officials. The Israeli military had not issued an immediate response.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres welcomed the reported agreement, describing it as a rare positive development in a region affected by prolonged conflict. He urged all parties to implement the agreement in good faith without attempting to undermine it.
Israel has not officially commented on Hamas' announcement. The proposed arrangement forms part of a broader US-mediated ceasefire initiative announced last October, under which Hamas was expected to disarm and transfer authority to an independent Palestinian administration, while Israeli forces would withdraw and an international stabilisation force would be deployed.
Implementation of the agreement has remained stalled, with Israel insisting that Hamas must first disarm, while Hamas has accused Israel of violating the ceasefire by continuing military operations in Gaza.
The war began after the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, in which around 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage. According to Gaza's Health Ministry, more than 73,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's military campaign, including those who died after the ceasefire agreement.