ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The United States and Iran exchanged fresh military strikes overnight on Wednesday, after the US Central Command (CENTCOM) disabled an oil tanker heading to an Iranian port in the Strait of Hormuz, with negotiations aimed at securing a permanent ceasefire remaining deadlocked.
“An additional wave of Iranian drones attempting to attack U.S. forces in Kuwait failed to impact intended targets tonight,” CENTCOM said in a statement early Wednesday, adding that its air defenses “successfully downed multiple drones and ensured no American personnel or assets were harmed.”
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said in a statement that after the US forces struck an Iranian oil tanker, the Guards responded to the American aggression with drones and missiles.
“In response to this aggression and violation of Strait of Hormuz regulations, a vessel belonging to the American-Zionist enemy, named Panaya, was targeted by IRGC Navy missiles,” the Guards said in a statement carried by the Tasnim News. “In another act of aggression, the American enemy targeted an IRGC communications tower south of Qeshm Island with aerial projectiles. In response, their air and helicopter base in one of the countries of the region, as well as the headquarters of the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, were targeted in missile and drone attacks by the IRGC Aerospace Force.”
CENTCOM denied that the US Navy's Fifth Fleet headquarters had been struck, saying all Iranian attacks had failed to achieve their objectives.
The latest escalation comes amid ongoing diplomatic efforts to secure a permanent truce in the war between the US, Israel, and Iran, which began on February 28 and was largely halted by a ceasefire on April 8. While major hostilities have subsided, tensions have persisted through maritime confrontations in the Strait of Hormuz and continued negotiations mediated by several countries.
Earlier, CENTCOM said Iran launched two missiles toward Kuwait that “fell short or broke apart enroute” and three toward Bahrain that were “immediately intercepted by U.S. and Bahrain air defense forces.” It added that US forces also shot down three one-way attack drones launched by Iran toward “civilian mariners that were rightfully transiting regional waters.”
CENTCOM further said that “American forces also conducted self-defense strikes on an Iranian military ground control station on Qeshm Island.”
The renewed military activity comes after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio appeared before Congress on Tuesday, where he said the US naval blockade of Iranian ports would remain in place as long as Iran continued to restrict access through the Strait of Hormuz.
Kuwait's military said on Wednesday that its air defenses were intercepting “hostile” missile and drone attacks. The statement came shortly after Iranian media reported explosions near Qeshm Island without specifying their cause.
Bahrain's interior ministry also said warning sirens had been activated and urged residents to take precautionary measures.
