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The U.S. forces carried out another round of strikes in southern Iran on Wednesday, prompting Tehran to retaliate by targeting an American airbase in Kuwait hours later as tensions around the Strait of Hormuz flared again.
The escalation followed early U.S. strikes on missile launch sites and Iranian boats allegedly attempting to lay mines near the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, which U.S. Central Command described as defensive operations.
Washington struck a military site in southern Iran believed to pose a threat to American forces and commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. media reported.
Three explosions were later heard near Bandar Abbas after Iranian air defenses were activated, according to Iran’s semi-official Fars News Agency.
A U.S. official confirmed to Türkiye’s state-run Anadolu Agency that American forces shot down four Iranian one-way attack drones near the Strait of Hormuz after identifying what Washington described as a threat to regional security.
U.S. forces also struck an Iranian ground control station in Bandar Abbas that was allegedly preparing to launch a fifth drone, the official noted on condition of anonymity.
"These actions were measured, purely defensive, and intended to maintain the ceasefire," the official added.
Iran later targeted a U.S. airbase in Kuwait, with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announcing that the retaliatory strike came hours after what it described as an American aerial assault near Bandar Abbas Airport in southern Iran.
"This response is a serious warning so that the enemy knows that aggression will not go unanswered, and if repeated, our response will be more decisive," the IRGC stated.
There was no immediate response from the U.S. military following the reported attack in Kuwait.
Iranian military spokesperson Abolfazl Shekarchi had previously warned that any renewed U.S. or Israeli strikes on Iran would trigger a "heavier" and "stronger" response extending beyond the region, in response to earlier American attacks on Iranian targets.
Despite a ceasefire brokered in April and later extended indefinitely by U.S. President Donald Trump, negotiations to end the conflict have remained stalled for weeks.
The latest diplomatic efforts during an Iranian delegation’s visit to Qatar this week yielded little visible progress on key disputes, including sanctions relief, restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz and the future of Iran’s nuclear program, Iranian media suggested.
U.S. President Donald Trump voiced frustration over the stalled negotiations, saying Washington was "not satisfied" with the current state of talks and warning that the U.S. may "have to just finish the job" if no deal is reached.
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