US launches fresh strikes at Iran military site near Hormuz, intercepts drones
US forces also reportedly intercepted and shot down several Iranian drones that were allegedly threatening American personnel and vessels operating near the waterway.
The United States has carried out fresh military strikes inside Iran targeting a military site near the Strait of Hormuz that Washington believed posed a threat to American forces and commercial maritime traffic, Reuters reported on Wednesday citing a US official.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the operation was aimed at countering security risks in the strategically sensitive region. US forces also reportedly intercepted and shot down several Iranian drones that were allegedly threatening American personnel and vessels operating near the waterway.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters that the target of the strike was an Iranian ground control facility in Bandar Abbas that was reportedly preparing to launch a fifth drone.
"These actions were measured, purely defensive, and intended to maintain the ceasefire," the official told Reuters.
The reported strikes came as explosions were heard near the Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas early Thursday. Iranian media said at least three blasts occurred east of the city around 1:30 a.m. local time, following which air defence systems were activated for several minutes.
The strikes, which had not been reported earlier, occurred against the backdrop of ongoing negotiations aimed at ending a three-month conflict that has claimed thousands of lives and pushed global energy prices higher since it began on February 28 following US and Israeli attacks.
The latest escalation follows strikes carried out by the US military earlier this week in southern Iran. US Central Command had then described the operation as “self-defence strikes” targeting missile launch sites and Iranian vessels allegedly attempting to deploy naval mines near the strategic maritime corridor.
Iran later accused the United States of violating a nearly seven-week-old ceasefire through repeated military action near the Strait of Hormuz.
The already fragile ceasefire appeared increasingly uncertain after Iran threatened retaliation over US military strikes described by Washington as “self-defence” operations earlier this week.
Negotiations between Washington and Tehran have yet to produce a formal agreement, with both sides continuing to exchange conflicting signals over a possible de-escalation framework.
Iranian state television on Wednesday aired details of what it described as a draft understanding aimed at easing tensions in and around the Strait of Hormuz. Under the reported proposal, commercial shipping activity through the strategic waterway would gradually return to pre-conflict levels within a month, while the United States would scale back its military deployment near Iran and lift what Tehran has characterised as a naval blockade.
The reported proposal, however, was swiftly rejected by Washington. The White House dismissed the claims within hours, calling the reported memorandum “completely fabricated." In a post on X, the White House rejected the report. "This report from Iranian controlled media is not true and the MOU they "released" is a complete fabrication. Nobody should believe what Iranian state media is putting out. FACTS MATTER," it said in a post on social media platform X.
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday also rejected a report from Iranian state media claiming that Iran and Oman would jointly control shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz under a new peace agreement. Trump insisted that the critical waterway would remain open.