US-Iran Tensions Rise After Fresh Strikes and Missile Threats

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has announced that it targeted a United States military air base in the Middle East following new US air strikes in southern Iran.

Although the IRGC did not reveal the exact location of the base, Kuwait — which hosts American military facilities — reported intercepting “hostile missile and drone threats,” without confirming their source.

Earlier, the US military said it had destroyed Iranian drones over the Strait of Hormuz and carried out strikes on a military installation in Bandar Abbas, a key Iranian port city.The latest escalation has raised fears over the collapse of a fragile ceasefire between Washington and Tehran.

This marks the second round of US attacks on Iranian targets within three days. Washington said the operations were conducted in self-defence. According to US Central Command (Centcom), the site in Bandar Abbas was attacked because it was preparing to launch a fifth drone. Iranian media later reported explosions east of the city.

Centcom described the strikes as “measured and defensive” actions aimed at preserving the ceasefire. It also confirmed that US forces intercepted four Iranian one-way attack drones that were considered a threat near the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran strongly condemned the attacks, calling them “a serious breach of the ceasefire” and warned that it would respond to any hostile action.

Earlier this week, the US acknowledged another series of “self-defence” strikes in southern Iran, targeting missile positions and boats allegedly attempting to place mines in the Strait of Hormuz. The waterway remains heavily disrupted, with thousands of commercial tanker ships stranded due to the ongoing conflict.Centcom stated those operations were intended to protect American troops from Iranian threats.

Meanwhile, the US imposed sanctions on the “Persian Gulf Strait Authority,” the Iranian agency responsible for collecting transit payments from vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz. The US Treasury warned that ships making payments to the authority could also face sanctions.

Nearly one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas normally passes through the Strait, making the disruption a major concern for global energy markets.Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei defended the fees, saying they were charges for “navigation services” and insisted Tehran would continue controlling movement through the waterway.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent described the charges as an attempt by Iran’s military to “extort global maritime trade” and evidence that Tehran is “desperate for cash.”

The IRGC also claimed on Tuesday that it had shot down a US drone and fired at both a fighter jet and another drone that allegedly entered Iranian airspace, though it did not provide further details.

While President Donald Trump had earlier suggested that a peace agreement with Iran was close, saying negotiations were “largely completed,” he later admitted the US was “not satisfied” with the progress.

Trump said Iran appeared determined to reach an agreement to end the conflict but added that “they haven’t gotten there yet,” warning that the US remained prepared to launch more strikes if talks failed.His comments followed reports on Iranian state television claiming that a draft agreement included reopening the Strait of Hormuz and the withdrawal of American forces from the region. However, the White House dismissed the reported document as “completely fabricated.”

Although both sides had recently signalled progress toward a possible agreement, hopes for an immediate breakthrough have faded. Tehran said a deal was “not close,” while Trump stated he had instructed US negotiators “not to rush” the process.