US and Iran exchange military strikes following Trumps rejection of Hormuz deal

US Forces Targeted in Iranian Counterattack

A base used by United States forces was targeted by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Thursday, following an alleged US attack on a location near Bandar Abbas Airport earlier that morning. The IRGC stated that the American air base was attacked at 4:50 am local time.

According to Kuwait’s military, its air defenses were responding to an “enemy” attack on Thursday. The IRGC did not provide details on the location of the base targeted in response to what it described as an early morning US attack near Bandar Abbas airport.

A US official confirmed that the US military shot down four Iranian attack drones and struck a ground control station in the port city of Bandar Abbas, which was about to launch a fifth drone. The actions were reportedly “measured, purely defensive and intended to maintain the ceasefire.”

Despite the latest strikes, neither the US nor Iran has stated that the ceasefire has collapsed. This is the third time since the ceasefire’s announcement that they have directly engaged militarily.

US President Donald Trump expressed confidence in negotiations to end the war during a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, but rejected reports of a potential compromise deal with Tehran. He dismissed an Iranian state TV report that it had obtained an unofficial draft of an agreement to restore commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz to pre-war levels within a month.

Trump stated that no single country would have control over the waterway and appeared to threaten Oman, a country with which the US has decades-long military and economic ties. The US crude futures gained more than 3 percent after reports of the escalation in hostilities, while stocks fell and the dollar rose.

Iranian officials have maintained that they will not back down from their demands to enrich uranium, wield authority over the Strait of Hormuz, and see sanctions against them lifted.

Source: Al Jazeera