The U.S. military conducted defensive strikes Wednesday on an Iranian ground control station in Bandar Abbas, downing four drones near the Strait of Hormuz.
12:03 PM
The U.S. military carried out strikes on an Iranian military site Wednesday, targeting a ground control station in the port city of Bandar Abbas that was about to launch a drone attack, according to U.S. officials.
U.S. Central Command forces shot down four Iranian one-way attack drones that posed a threat around the Strait of Hormuz, a critical oil shipping chokepoint that has been closed since the war began. The ground control station strike was intended to prevent the launch of a fifth drone, officials said.
A U.S. official described the strikes as "measured, purely defensive, and intended to maintain the ceasefire." The official stated that the U.S.-Iran ceasefire remains in effect despite the military action.
The strikes marked the second round of U.S. military action against Iran in three days. On Monday, U.S. Central Command confirmed an earlier round of "self-defense strikes" on southern Iran, hitting missile launch sites and Iranian boats that allegedly sought to lay mines in the Strait of Hormuz.
In response, Iranian forces claimed to have targeted a U.S. airbase, according to state-run media. Iranian media reported that explosions were heard to the east of Bandar Abbas, though reports indicated no damage or casualties resulted from the U.S. strikes.
The military exchanges occur amid protracted negotiations to end the nearly three-month-old conflict that began with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28. The war has disrupted global energy markets and choked maritime traffic through one of the world's most important shipping routes.
President Trump convened his Cabinet on Wednesday to discuss negotiations over the Iran war. Trump said Iran was "negotiating on fumes" and stated, "Maybe we have to go back and finish it, maybe we don't." He also pushed for Gulf countries including Qatar and Saudi Arabia to sign on to the Abraham Accords to normalize relations with Israel.
A senior official with Iran's Revolutionary Guard said renewed fighting with the U.S. seems unlikely but stressed that his country is prepared for any outcome as negotiations continue. The official's comments echoed Trump's own statements about readiness for further military action.
Trump also asserted that November's U.S. midterm elections will not pressure him into rushing a deal to end the conflict.
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