US-Iran Strikes Resume Near Hormuz as Ceasefire Talks Stall

Global energy supplies face renewed pressure as the United States and Iran exchanged strikes near the Strait of Hormuz for the second time in three days. The waterway carries roughly one-fifth of world oil trade before the conflict began. Both sides described their actions as responses to the other while a fragile ceasefire negotiated last month remains in effect.

US Central Command reported that American forces shot down four Iranian one-way attack drones over the strait on Wednesday and struck a ground-control site in Bandar Abbas to prevent a fifth launch. The command called the moves measured and defensive. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps stated it fired a ballistic missile at a US air base in retaliation for the American action near Bandar Abbas airport, describing the US move as aggression. Kuwaiti forces intercepted a missile and drone threats over their territory hours later; the US military confirmed the interception but did not name the intended target.

President Trump rejected an Iranian state-media report of a draft agreement that would have restored shipping through the strait within a month under joint Iran-Oman management. He said no single country would control the waterway, added that the United States was not discussing sanctions relief, and stated during a cabinet meeting that Oman would behave like everyone else or face being blown up. The White House later called the reported draft a fabrication. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced sanctions on Iran’s newly created Persian Gulf Strait Authority, which Tehran established to oversee transit fees.

Negotiations continue without an announced breakthrough. US officials said Iran is negotiating from a weakened position after leadership losses, while Iranian parliamentarian Ebrahim Azizi said Tehran would not abandon uranium enrichment or its demands on the strait. Oil prices rose more than 3 percent after the latest reports. No independent verification of drone launches, missile impacts, or casualty claims has emerged from multiple outlets.