SRINAGAR: The United States carried out fresh military strikes on Iranian targets near the strategic Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, shooting down four Iranian drones and striking a ground control station in the southern port city of Bandar Abbas, as Washington and Tehran continued negotiations aimed at ending their three-month conflict, according to Reuters and the Wall Street Journal.
A US military official told the BBC that the operation targeted four “one-way attack drones” assessed to pose a threat to maritime security, and also struck a control centre allegedly preparing to launch a fifth drone. The Pentagon described the action as “measured” and “purely defensive”, saying it was aimed at preserving the fragile ceasefire in the Gulf region.
Iranian state-linked media said air defence systems were activated shortly before midnight after explosions were reported east of Bandar Abbas. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps later claimed it had retaliated by targeting what it described as a US airbase at around 4:50am local time, warning that any further “aggression will not go unanswered”, according to BBC reports. No location for the alleged target was disclosed.
The confrontation also spread to the Strait of Hormuz, where Tasnim News Agency reported that IRGC naval forces fired on a US-linked tanker after accusing it of attempting to transit the waterway with its radar switched off. The report said the incident triggered a retaliatory US strike near Bandar Abbas, heightening concerns over security in one of the world’s most critical oil shipping routes.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration announced fresh sanctions against Iran’s newly established Persian Gulf Strait Authority, accusing it of attempting to pressure international shipping by imposing transit tolls of up to $2 million per vessel. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the measures reflected what he described as Tehran’s mounting economic strain, according to Reuters.
Speaking during a Cabinet meeting, President Donald Trump said Iran remained interested in reaching an agreement but warned Washington was prepared to intensify its response if talks failed.
Regional tensions escalated further overnight after Kuwaiti authorities reported air raid sirens and active air defence interceptions, with residents urged to remain indoors as a precaution, as per Al Jazeera.
The latest developments have underlined the fragility of the ceasefire and heightened fears of a broader regional escalation across West Asia.
