US-Iran Strikes Resume Near Hormuz Amid Ceasefire Talks

Strikes near the Strait of Hormuz have renewed pressure on a fragile April ceasefire between the United States and Iran, even as negotiators work to extend the truce for 60 days and reopen shipping lanes that carry roughly 20 percent of global oil traffic. The weekend exchanges left both sides claiming self-defense while talks on nuclear limits, sanctions relief, and mine clearance continued without a final agreement.

U.S. Central Command reported that fighter aircraft struck Iranian radar sites, a drone ground control station, and two one-way attack drones in Goruk and on Qeshm Island after Iran shot down a U.S. MQ-1 drone operating over international waters. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said its forces then targeted a U.S.-linked air base in retaliation for an earlier strike on a communications tower on Sirik Island. Kuwaiti air defenses intercepted incoming missiles and drones, and Kuwait’s Foreign Ministry condemned the attacks as a dangerous escalation.

President Trump posted on Truth Social that Iran “really wants to make a deal” and that any agreement would benefit the United States and its partners. He also urged domestic critics to “just sit back and relax,” arguing that constant commentary complicated negotiations. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said messages continued to flow between the capitals but stressed that contradictory demands and regional developments, including Israeli operations in Lebanon, had slowed progress.

The proposed extension would require Iran to remove sea mines, end harassment of shipping, and forgo nuclear weapons development while the United States would begin phasing out its naval blockade of Iranian ports. Reports from U.S. media indicated that Trump had sent a counterproposal with tougher language on uranium enrichment and the disposition of existing stockpiles. Iranian state media cited an unofficial draft that included release of $12 billion in frozen assets, a claim the White House dismissed as fabricated.

The exchanges mark the latest in a series of violations since the April ceasefire took effect. Earlier incidents included Iranian drone incursions over Kuwait, U.S. capture of an Iranian container ship, and repeated IRGC warnings that unauthorized vessels would be targeted in the strait. No independent damage assessments from the most recent strikes have been released by either government.