The fragile cease-fire between the United States and Iran came under renewed strain early Thursday after both sides exchanged attacks near the Strait of Hormuz, raising fresh fears that the conflict could spiral again despite ongoing negotiations aimed at ending the war.
A U.S. official said American forces carried out what were described as “purely defensive” strikes against an Iranian drone control position in the southern port city of Bandar Abbas after intelligence indicated preparations for another attack. According to the official, U.S. forces shot down four Iranian drones and struck a launch site that was preparing to deploy a fifth aircraft near the strategic waterway.
“These actions were measured, purely defensive, and intended to maintain the cease-fire,” the official said.
Iran quickly responded. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it targeted the U.S. air base linked to the operation near Bandar Abbas airport, escalating tensions around one of the world’s most sensitive maritime corridors.
Iranian media also reported explosions around Bandar Abbas, the capital of Hormozgan province and a major military and naval hub overlooking the Strait of Hormuz, a route that carries roughly one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments.
Tasnim news agency, citing a military source, reported that Iranian forces had confronted a U.S. oil tanker attempting to cross the strait with its radar system switched off. The report claimed the IRGC fired on the vessel and forced it to retreat. The account could not immediately be independently verified.
The latest flare-up came despite a cease-fire that has formally remained in place since April 8. Since then, however, sporadic clashes and military exchanges have repeatedly threatened to unravel the truce.
The violence widened further when Kuwait, home to major U.S. military installations, reported missile and drone activity over its territory. Kuwaiti armed forces said air defense systems intercepted “hostile targets,” though officials did not identify the source of the attacks or report casualties.
The renewed fighting also rattled regional markets. Oil prices surged again after reports of the escalation, reversing sharp declines from the previous day. U.S. crude futures climbed more than 3% as investors weighed the risk of disruption along the strait, a chokepoint vital to global energy supplies. Stocks slipped while the dollar strengthened.
The conflict, which erupted on Feb. 28 following joint U.S. and Israeli strikes against Iranian targets, has already killed thousands and destabilized global energy markets. President Donald Trump has repeatedly insisted that negotiations with Tehran are progressing, but Wednesday’s developments underscored the deep divisions still blocking a broader settlement.
At a Cabinet meeting in Washington, Trump dismissed reports from Iranian state television suggesting the two sides were nearing a framework agreement that would restore commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz within a month.
The Iranian report claimed Tehran and Oman would jointly oversee traffic through the waterway as part of a broader arrangement that would also include lifting U.S. restrictions on Iranian ports and reducing the American military presence near Iran.
Trump flatly rejected the notion that any single country would control the strait.
“Nobody’s going to control the strait,” Trump said. “It’s international waters.”
He also warned that the United States was not considering sanctions relief and remained dissatisfied with the direction of talks.
Iranian officials responded defiantly. Ebrahim Azizi, head of the Iranian parliament’s national security committee, accused Trump of alternating between threats and diplomacy while insisting Tehran would not abandon its demands, including uranium enrichment rights and influence over the strait.
“It is obvious Trump, seeking a way out of this strategic deadlock, alternates between issuing threats and appealing for an agreement,” Azizi wrote on X.
The future of Iran’s nuclear program remains one of the largest obstacles in negotiations. Tehran maintains its nuclear activities are peaceful, while Washington continues to demand guarantees that Iran will never develop nuclear weapons.
“The bottom line is Iran’s never going to have a nuclear weapon,” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said during the Cabinet meeting.
The Strait of Hormuz remains central to the dispute. Governed under international maritime law, the narrow waterway is considered one of the world’s most strategically important shipping lanes. The U.S. Treasury Department on Wednesday imposed sanctions on the Persian Gulf Strait Authority, an Iranian body established to oversee passage through the strait, accusing it of threatening U.S. national security.
