Iran accuses US of "flagrant" ceasefire violation

The Iranian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday accused the United States of "flagrant violation" of a ceasefire reached between the two countries last month, following U.S. military strikes in southern Iran.

The ministry's statement came one day after the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) claimed that its forces had struck missile launch sites and mine-laying boats in southern Iran on Monday.

The ministry said that the truce violation committed in Iran's Hormozgan province within the past 48 hours, concurrent with the ongoing Pakistani-mediated diplomatic process between Tehran and Washington, once again revealed the U.S. government's "viciousness and non-commitment to its promises."

The statement added that the U.S. action also demonstrated that Iran's "deep" distrust of the U.S. government is based on a logic and "profound" understanding of its "criminal and despiteful" nature and conduct towards the Iranian people.

The ministry condemned the "aggressive" action and stressed that the U.S. government would bear full responsibility for the consequences.

In a statement on Monday, CENTCOM spokesperson Tim Hawkins said the U.S. forces conducted "self-defense" strikes in the Bandar Abbas area, which hosts Iran's main naval base, destroying two vessels of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) and hitting a surface-to-air missile site.

On Tuesday, the IRGC said that its air defense forces had shot down a U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone and fired at two other U.S. aircraft, namely an RQ-4 Global Hawk surveillance aircraft and an invading F-35 fighter jet, in Iranian airspace.

In a statement published on its official news outlet Sepah News, the IRGC warned that it reserves the "legitimate and definitive" right to respond to any further U.S. ceasefire violations.

The developments came as a diplomatic process was initiated, mediated by Pakistan, between Tehran and Washington following the April 8 ceasefire to end the war. The two sides are reportedly working to finalize a peace memorandum of understanding.

An Oriental Darter has been spotted at Huizhou West Lake in south China's Guangdong, marking the first time the species has been recorded in the province.

The bird, also known as Anhinga melanogaster, has extremely strict habitat requirements, preferring freshwater lakes and rivers with clear water and abundant fish resources. Therefore, its appearance in Guangdong suggests that local ecological environment has greatly improved.

"This species is mainly native to Southeast Asia, and its global population is relatively small. It has not been spotted in China for many years, so seeing it on the bird island at Huizhou West Lake was quite unexpected," said a birdwatcher.