The US military said it carried out what it called self-defense strikes against Iranian radar and drone monitoring sites over the weekend, while Iran said it targeted an airbase used in the U.S. attack as the two countries continued to exchange strikes as part of negotiations to end their war.
U.S. Central Command said in a statement Sunday post on that the strikes were carried out on Goruk and Qeshm Island “in response to aggressive Iranian actions”, claiming that Iran had shot down a US MQ-1 drone that was operating over international waters.
U.S. fighter jets destroyed Iranian air defenses, a ground control station and two unidirectional attack drones “which posed clear threats to ships transiting regional waters,” the command said, adding that no U.S. service members were injured.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said Monday that its aerospace forces had targeted the source of what it called a U.S. attack on a telecommunications tower on Sirik Island in Hormozgan province. He did not specify the location of the base.
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In a statement carried by Iranian state media, the IRGC said that if US attacks continued, their response would be “completely different” and Washington would be responsible for the consequences.
The Kuwaiti military said in a statement post on that it was “currently responding to hostile missile and drone threats” and that any noise of explosions was the result of attacks intercepted by air defense systems. He did not say where the attack came from or what was targeted, but Kuwait is home to a U.S. air base that has previously been attacked by Iran and its proxies.
The United States and Iran have exchanged strikes several times since agreeing to a ceasefire in early April. including last week when Iran also targeted an airbase. Negotiations on a broader agreement drag on amid disagreements on several issues, including the future of Iran’s nuclear and ballistic programs.
In a message published Monday morning on social networks, the president Donald Trump told critics of the delay to “sit back and relax,” saying, “Iran really wants to make a deal, and it will be a good deal for the United States and those who are with us.”
The war launched by the United States and Israel on February 28 has killed thousands of people, mainly in Iran and Lebanon, as well as 13 American service members. It also sent global energy prices soaring after Iran responded by effectively closing the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial shipping route that carried a fifth of the world’s oil supply before the war.
Trump said Friday that Iran must agree to never have a nuclear weapon, that the Strait of Hormuz must be reopened to “unrestricted, two-way maritime traffic,” and that mines in the waterway must be destroyed.
Iran accused Trump of blocking negotiations with “excessive demands.”
Another aspect that complicates the negotiations between the United States and Iran is Israel’s war in Lebanonwhere Israeli military operations against the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia continued despite a ceasefire.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that Israel was seeking direct control over more of Lebanon after Israeli troops. captured Beaufort Ridgea medieval castle and key strategic site, in its deepest foray into the country in over 25 years.
A US official said Sunday that the Secretary of State Marco Rubio had spoken with Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun as part of ongoing diplomatic negotiations and proposed a plan that would “create space for gradual de-escalation and an effective cessation of hostilities.” The official did not say when the conversations took place.