Sarah Smith,North America Editor, Washington DCAnd
Nardine Saad
US Navy via Getty Images
The American army carried out strikes against Iran, targeting a military site in Bandar Abbas, a strategic port city.
In response, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said had targeted an American air base, without providing details of its location.
Kuwait, which hosts a US air base, said its air defenses were intercepting “hostile missile and drone threats” but did not say where they were coming from.
The resumption of hostilities threatens a fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran.
This is the second time in three days that the United States has attacked targets in Iran, saying the strikes were carried out in self-defense.
The Bandar Abbas site was hit as it prepared to launch a fifth drone, the US Central Command (Centcom) said. Iranian media reported that explosions were heard east of the city.
Centcom described its actions as “measured, purely defensive and intended to maintain the ceasefire.”
He also said his forces had shot down four one-way Iranian attack drones “that posed a threat around the Strait of Hormuz.”
Iran condemned the strikes as “a serious violation of the ceasefire” and pledged that the Iranian government “would not leave any act of hostility unanswered.”
Earlier this week, the United States confirmed a previous series of “self-defense” strikes On Monday, they targeted Iranian missile sites and boats attempting to lay mines in the strait, where thousands of commercial tankers are stuck because of the conflict.
Centcom said the strikes were aimed at “protecting our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces.”
The United States also imposed sanctions on the Persian Gulf Strait Authority, the Iranian body responsible for collecting payments from ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
Any vessel paying for this authorization could also be “exposed to the risk of sanctions”, the US Treasury Department said in a statement.
A fifth of the world’s liquefied natural gas and oil normally passes through the shipping canal, and its closure has impacted global fuel trade.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said Monday that Tehran charges fees for “navigation services” and will continue to manage traffic on the waterway.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent described it as “the latest attempt by the Iranian military to extort global maritime trade” and “proof” that Iran “desperately needs money”.
The IRGC also said Tuesday it shot down a U.S. drone and fired on a fighter jet and another drone that entered Iranian airspace, but did not say when.
Lengthy negotiations are taking place to end the three-month war that has choked traffic in the Strait of Hormuz and caused global energy prices to soar.
At a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, US President Donald Trump said: Iran “negotiates on fumes”, insisting that its war strategy will not be affected by the US midterm elections in November.
“Maybe we need to go back and finish it, maybe we won’t,” he said.
During the meeting, the president also urged Gulf countries to sign the Abraham Accords to normalize relations with Israel.
Israel launched war against Iran alongside the United States on February 28 and is also involved in a war with Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Trump threatened to resume a large-scale bombing campaign if Iran did not agree to his terms.
While Trump struck an optimistic note over the weekend, saying a peace deal with Iran had been “extensively negotiated” at Wednesday’s cabinet meeting, he said the United States was “not satisfied.”
He said Tehran was “very determined” to reach an agreement to end the conflict, but added “so far they have not succeeded”, reiterating Washington’s willingness to resume strikes if no agreement is reached.
His remarks came after Iranian state television reported what it said were details of a draft deal, which included reopening the Strait of Hormuz and withdrawing U.S. forces from the region.
The White House called the text a “complete fabrication.”
Both sides reported progress toward a deal late last week, leading to speculation about an announcement soon.
However, Tehran quickly warned that a deal was “not imminent,” while Trump said he had asked its negotiators “not to rush.”
Speaking to reporters at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, the US president said: “They just want to make a deal. I don’t think they have a choice.”
Trump also said: “Iran is very determined, they really want to make a deal.
“So far they haven’t succeeded and we’re not happy about it, but we will be. Either that or we’ll just have to finish the job.”
