Escalation in the Strait of Hormuz

The strikes mark the third known escalation in a week around the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global shipping channel. Iran’s Islamic Major Guard Corps (IRGC) said it had targeted an air base used by US forces in response to an attack on southern Iran, though it did not specify the location.

Kuwait Reports Hostile Attacks

Meanwhile, Kuwait reported that its air defense system was ‘confronting hostile missile and drone attacks,’ according to a statement from its military; State news agency KUNA reported air raid sirens sounded across the country, though no further details were provided.

President Donald Trump, in a post on Truth Social, urged his critics to ‘sit back and relax,’ saying the situation would ‘all work out well in the end.’ He added that Iran ‘really wants to make a deal, and it will be a good one for the USA.’

Failed Negotiations and Demands

The strikes occurred after negotiations on a deal to end the months-long conflict failed to advance over the weekend. US media reported that President Trump had requested changes to the proposed deal’s terms, including those related to the Strait of Hormuz shipping channel and the removal of highly enriched uranium, as per CBS News.

The White House did not respond to a request for comment, though Iran’s chief negotiator said on Sunday that Tehran would not agree to any deal unless Iranian rights were ‘fully secured.’

Centcom said US fighters struck the Iranian military’s air defenses, a ground control station, and two drones that ‘posed a clear threat to ships transiting through regional waters.’ The US military said it conducted ‘self-defense strikes’ on Iranian radar and command and control sites for drones in Goruk, near Iran’s southern coast, and Qeshm, an island in the Strait of Hormuz.

No American personnel were injured in the attacks, according to the military. The IRGC said it had targeted an air base in Kuwait last week in response to earlier US strikes, which it claimed were aimed at preventing Iranian boats and missile strikes from laying mines around the shipping channel.

The IRGC also warned that its response would be ‘completely different’ if US aggression was ‘repeated,’ according to remarks reported by Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency.

While a ceasefire came into effect on April 8, Trump has repeatedly suggested the US and Iran are close to a permanent deal, though no formal agreement has been reached. Trump and senior aides met on Friday to make a ‘final determination’ about a framework for extending the ceasefire, but the meeting concluded without clarity on the next steps.

The latest terms include a 60-day cessation of violence, a call to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and a framework to reopen negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program, according to CBS News.

Approximately one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipments usually pass through the Gulf shipping channel, with the de facto trade embargo placing upward pressure on fuel prices around the world.