U.S. and Iran Exchange Strikes in Strait of Hormuz Region

U.S. forces targeted four Iranian drones near Bandar Abbas and destroyed a drone control station, according to a statement from U.S. military officials. Iranian officials disputed the account and said U.S. forces struck near Bandar Abbas airport. m.

by targeting the U.S. airbase from which the strikes originated. The IRGC released footage of a missile launch and warned that further U.S. strikes would be met with a more decisive response. It also claimed an attack on a U.S. oil tanker in the strait, a claim U.S. officials did not confirm.

Kuwaiti media reported air-raid sirens in the country early Thursday.

Sanctions and Navigation Dispute The U.S.

Treasury Department placed the Persian Gulf Strait Authority on its sanctions list Wednesday. Officials said the authority was created by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to collect fees from vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian officials had previously discussed a fee of $2 million per vessel.

Five Gulf states warned shipping companies through the International Maritime Organisation not to comply with the authority's regulations. The warnings followed Iran's publication of a map claiming regulatory control over part of the strait extending into the territorial waters of the UAE and Oman.

Negotiations and Ceasefire Status U.S.

President Donald Trump said the strait would remain open to all traffic as international waters. The White House denied the existence of a draft agreement published by Iranian state television, calling it a fabrication. Iranian state media and U.S. officials continue to present differing accounts of any potential deal.

The Strait of Hormuz has been largely closed to international shipping since the war began on 28 February. Under normal conditions, about one-fifth of global oil shipments pass through the waterway daily. An Israeli open-source intelligence analyst published satellite imagery showing Iranian efforts to rebuild missile capabilities at the Yazd Missile Base since the April ceasefire.