A tanker was struck by a projectile in the Strait ​of Hormuz on Saturday, as US-Iran tensions flared over the vital  global energy shipping route, said media reports. 

The US and Iran each launched strikes in the worst escalation since they signed an interim peace deal.

The warring sides ‌each accused the other of violating the agreement reached two weeks ago to end the four-month-old conflict. 

The American forces said they hit Iranian targets overnight, while Iran said it had struck targets linked to US forces on Saturday in response, continuing a string of attacks that have shaken the war’s uneasy ceasefire, reported Reuters.

A US official said the military detected Iranian drones in the region but they did not reach their targets. Developments in the strait are testing a tenuous ceasefire agreement.

Iran said it launched retaliatory strikes on US interests in the Middle East on Saturday as Bahrain said it was targeted by an Iranian drone attack, marking the latest threat to a ceasefire and ongoing talks toward a broader peace, reported the Wall Street Journal.

Just hours later, the Singapore-flagged container ship Ever Lovely was struck by an Iranian drone, a US official told CNN. 

Meanwhile, a multinational maritime body overseen by the US Navy said Saturday that it would expand a route near Oman in the strait to allow for both inbound and outbound traffic.

That likely sets up a new flashpoint with Tehran, which sees the strait as a key source of leverage in ongoing talks with the US, reported Associated Press.

Bahrain was also targeted in a drone attack in Tehran’s likely response to overnight airstrikes by the US.

In its statement, the Bahrain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed Bahrain's strongest condemnation of the attack targeting its territory in the early hours of June 27 using a number of Iranian drones.

The Ministry said the attack constituted a flagrant violation of the Kingdom's sovereignty, a blatant threat to the security of Bahraini citizens and residents, and a clear breach of international norms and conventions prohibiting attacks on civilian objects and the terrorising of civilians, reported BNA.

Iran undermining peace efforts

The ministry said Iran's continued attacks, at a time when regional and international efforts are focused on de-escalation, place sole responsibility on Tehran for undermining peace efforts and reflect a policy of destabilising regional security, exporting chaos and undermining stability.

It also referred to United Nations Security Council Resolution 2817 (2026), submitted by Bahrain on behalf of GCC member states and Jordan and backed by 136 countries, describing it as a broad expression of international consensus.

The ministry reaffirmed Bahrain's legitimate right to defend its sovereignty, security and stability in accordance with international law, and called on the Security Council to fulfil its responsibilities by ensuring the implementation of the resolution and holding the aggressor accountable, it added.