Trump Calls Iranian Fire on Destroyers a “Love Tap,” Says Ceasefire Holds

President Trump said Thursday that the ceasefire with Iran remains in effect after Iran fired on three U.S. Navy destroyers in the Strait of Hormuz, calling the attack “just a love tap.” Asked whether the exchange ended the truce, he said, “the ceasefire is going. It’s in effect,” ABC News reported.

U.S. Central Command said the guided-missile destroyers USS Truxtun, USS Rafael Peralta and USS Mason were transiting the strait toward the Gulf of Oman when Iran “launched multiple missiles, drones and small boats,” according to ABC. The command said no American ships were struck. It said U.S. forces then carried out “self-defense” strikes on Iranian targets, including missile and drone launch sites, command and control locations, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance nodes.

Iran gave a different account. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it had targeted the warships in retaliation for U.S. strikes on an Iranian oil tanker and on civilian areas along the Iranian coast, and claimed “substantial damage” to the ships, which Central Command disputes, ABC reported. Stars and Stripes described the U.S. response as self-defense strikes after “unprovoked Iranian attacks” on Navy ships and reported that Iranian state media had earlier claimed an American attack on a tanker.

Trump coupled the dismissive description with a warning. In a social media post, he threatened more strikes if Iran does not sign a deal “FAST!” and said the United States would hit harder “in the future,” ABC reported. He repeated that Iran must agree to a deal to restart negotiations to end the war.

The exchange tests a ceasefire that began April 7, after a war that started Feb. 28. Stars and Stripes reported that the sides have issued conflicting statements about a final agreement and that Trump has repeatedly threatened to renew strikes if Iran does not accept his terms, which, the newspaper said, include surrendering its nuclear material. The Navy is blockading Iranian ports, the newspaper said, while Iran has threatened to attack any vessel that tries to transit the strait without its permission.

The escort mission that put American ships in the strait, called Project Freedom, was paused Tuesday night, one day after it began, according to Stars and Stripes. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had described it as temporary. Shipping through the strait has slowed sharply, raising fuel costs worldwide, the newspaper reported. The administration has told Congress that hostilities with Iran have ended, a claim Senate Democrats dispute, CBS News reported.