Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Thursday that it had targeted a US airbase at around 4:50 am local time in retaliation for what it described as an American attack near Bandar Abbas airport earlier in the day.
Iranian media did not disclose the location of the targeted base, but the IRGC warned that any further US action would be met with a “more decisive” response.
The statement came hours after US officials confirmed fresh military operations against Iranian drone activity near the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical energy shipping routes.
According to Reuters, the US military shot down four Iranian attack drones that officials believed posed a threat to American forces and commercial vessels operating in the region. The US also carried out a strike on a drone ground-control station near Bandar Abbas that was allegedly preparing to launch another drone.
A US official described the operation as “limited and defensive,” saying it was aimed at preserving the fragile ceasefire that came into effect in early April.
Tehran, however, accused Washington of repeatedly violating the truce. Iranian state media reported that the IRGC Navy fired warning shots toward a US-linked oil tanker attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, forcing it to retreat.
Separate reports claimed Iranian naval forces also turned back four vessels that tried to transit the waterway without coordinating with Tehran.
Strait of Hormuz tensions intensify
The Strait of Hormuz remains at the centre of the ongoing confrontation. Before fighting broke out in February, the narrow maritime corridor handled nearly one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments.
Iranian media claimed that only 23 vessels crossed the strait with Iranian permission over the past 24 hours, far below normal traffic levels before the conflict escalated.
The renewed military tensions pushed oil prices higher after recent declines earlier in the week. US crude futures climbed nearly 2 percent during Asian trading amid fears of disruptions to global energy supplies.
US President Donald Trump further heightened tensions by rejecting reports of a possible framework agreement under which Iran and Oman would jointly oversee commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
Speaking during a cabinet meeting, Trump insisted that no country would control the strategic waterway and warned Oman against attempting to dominate regional shipping routes. The White House later dismissed Iranian media reports about a draft agreement as fabricated.
New sanctions and stalled diplomacy
Washington also announced fresh sanctions targeting the Persian Gulf Strait Authority, a newly created Iranian body responsible for regulating passage requests through the Strait of Hormuz.
Efforts to negotiate an end to the three-month conflict remain stalled over several key issues, including Iran’s uranium enrichment programme, sanctions relief and control over maritime access in Hormuz.
Iran has repeatedly maintained that its nuclear programme is intended for peaceful purposes, while US officials continue to insist that Tehran must never acquire nuclear weapons.
Trump has also sought to broaden regional diplomacy by urging countries such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, Pakistan and Turkey to join the Abraham Accords aimed at normalising relations with Israel. However, several nations have reportedly resisted the proposal.
Despite repeated claims from Washington that a wider agreement could be within reach, the latest military exchanges underscore the continuing tensions between the two sides.
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