Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Thursday that it targeted a US airbase at around 4:50am local time in response to what it described as an American attack near Bandar Abbas airport earlier in the day. Iranian media reports did not disclose the location of the targeted base, but the IRGC warned that any further US action would invite a "more decisive" retaliation.
The Iranian statement came hours after US officials confirmed fresh military action against Iranian drone operations near the Strait of Hormuz.
According to Reuters, the US military shot down four Iranian attack drones that officials believed threatened American forces and commercial shipping in the strategic waterway.
The US also struck 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 intended to maintain the ceasefire that came into effect in early April.
However, Tehran accused Washington of repeatedly violating the truce. Iranian media claimed the IRGC Navy fired warning shots toward a US-linked oil tanker attempting to pass through the strait, forcing it to retreat.
Another report said four vessels attempting to transit the waterway without Iranian coordination were also turned back after warnings from Iranian naval forces.
The Strait of Hormuz remains at the centre of the conflict. Before the war erupted in February, the narrow maritime corridor handled nearly one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments.
Iranian state media said only 23 vessels crossed the strait with Iranian permission in the previous 24 hours, significantly lower than normal traffic levels before the conflict.
The renewed military activity pushed global oil prices higher after sharp declines earlier in the week. US crude futures rose nearly 2 percent in Asian trading amid concerns over possible disruptions to energy supplies.
US President Donald Trump further intensified tensions by dismissing 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 waterway and warned Oman against attempting to dominate traffic routes. The White House later rejected Iranian media reports about a draft agreement as fabricated.
Washington also announced new sanctions targeting the Persian Gulf Strait Authority, a newly created Iranian body responsible for managing passage requests through the strait.
Negotiations aimed at ending the three-month conflict remain stalled over key issues including Iran’s uranium enrichment programme, sanctions relief and control over Hormuz.
Iran has maintained that it will not abandon its nuclear programme, which it says is for peaceful purposes, while US officials continue to insist that Tehran must never obtain nuclear weapons.
Trump has also attempted to widen the diplomatic framework by urging countries including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, Pakistan and Turkey to join the Abraham Accords normalising ties with Israel, though several nations have reportedly resisted the proposal.
Despite repeated claims from Washington that a broader deal may be close, the latest military exchanges suggest that the gap between the two sides remains significant.
