US hits military site near Strait of Hormuz in fresh strikes

The United States has carried out fresh military strikes inside Iran targeting a military site near the Strait of Hormuz that Washington believed posed a threat to American forces and commercial maritime traffic, Reuters reported on Wednesday citing a US official.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the operation was aimed at countering security risks in the strategically sensitive region. US forces also reportedly intercepted and shot down several Iranian drones that were allegedly threatening American personnel and vessels operating near the waterway.

The reported strikes came as explosions were heard near the Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas early Thursday. Iranian media said at least three blasts occurred east of the city around 1:30 a.m. local time, following which air defence systems were activated for several minutes.

The latest escalation follows strikes carried out by the US military earlier this week in southern Iran. US Central Command had then described the operation as “self-defence strikes” targeting missile launch sites and Iranian vessels allegedly attempting to deploy naval mines near the strategic maritime corridor.

Iran later accused the United States of violating a nearly seven-week-old ceasefire through repeated military action near the Strait of Hormuz.

The already fragile ceasefire appeared increasingly uncertain after Iran threatened retaliation over US military strikes described by Washington as “self-defence” operations earlier this week.

Negotiations between Washington and Tehran have yet to produce a formal agreement, with both sides continuing to exchange conflicting signals over a possible de-escalation framework.

Iranian state television on Wednesday aired details of what it described as a draft understanding aimed at easing tensions in and around the Strait of Hormuz. Under the reported proposal, commercial shipping activity through the strategic waterway would gradually return to pre-conflict levels within a month, while the United States would scale back its military deployment near Iran and lift what Tehran has characterised as a naval blockade.

The reported proposal, however, was swiftly rejected by Washington. The White House dismissed the claims within hours, calling the reported memorandum “completely fabricated”.

– Ends