On the night of May 28, Iran and the United States exchanged strikes again. In particular, the US military shot down four Iranian drones in the Strait of Hormuz area, and then struck a ground control point in the city of Bandar Abbas, from where the Iranians were preparing to launch another drone.
An American official told Reuters about this.
He called the US strike "purely defensive and aimed at supporting the ceasefire".
Meanwhile, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said that Iran had attacked a US airbase in response to the US attack. The IRGC called it a "warning" to the US and added that any further aggression by the Americans would trigger a "more decisive" response.
They did not specify which air base was attacked, but almost simultaneously, the Kuwaiti army, where one of the largest American bases is located, reported the interception of drones and missiles.
The exchange of blows between the US and Iran took place against the backdrop of negotiations between the two countries to end the war. The parties cannot reach an agreement on the issues of the Strait of Hormuz and Iranʼs enriched uranium reserves. On May 24, the US President Donald Trump reported that the naval blockade of Iran would continue until Washington and Tehran sign a peace agreement.
War in the Middle East and negotiations between Iran and the US
On the morning of February 28, the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran. These attacks killed Iranʼs Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and almost the entire military leadership of the country — about 40 key high-ranking officials.
Iran, in response to the US and Israeli attacks, began shelling Arab countries where US bases are located, and Israel. The war also halted tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow sea corridor between Iran and Oman that connects the Persian Gulf with the Indian Ocean. It was through it that almost a fifth of the worldʼs oil exports passed — tens of millions of barrels per day.
On April 8, the parties agreed to a two-week ceasefire. On April 13, the United States began a naval blockade of Iranian ports, demanding the complete unblocking of the Strait of Hormuz for all ships.
On April 17, Lebanon and Israel agreed to a ceasefire, after which Iran unblocked the Strait of Hormuz. However, on April 18, Iran reported that it was again blocking the Strait of Hormuz due to the US naval blockade. On the same day, Iran fired on several ships attempting to pass through the strait.
On April 21, Trump tweeted that he had extended the ceasefire with Iran until the Iranians submitted their proposals and concluded discussions. Despite this, on May 8, Iran accused the United States of violating the ceasefire by attacking two ships in the Strait of Hormuz and striking civilian areas.
Tehran later submitted new proposals to Washington to end the war, but they included points that Trump had previously rejected. After that, information emerged that the US and Israel were preparing to resume strikes on Iran, but Trump said he was putting the idea on hold.
Iran responded and threatened to expand the war beyond the Middle East if the US resumed attacks.
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