US carries out new strikes on Iran military site in Bandar Abbas

The US military has carried out new strikes on a military site in Bandar Abbas, a strategic port city in southern Iran. US Central Command said its forces also shot down four Iranian one-way attack drones near the Strait of Hormuz. It added that an Iranian ground control station in Bandar Abbas was targeted before a fifth drone could be launched.

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Centcom said the actions were "measured, purely defensive, and intended to maintain the ceasefire". Iranian media reported that explosions were heard to the east of Bandar Abbas. The strikes were reported on Wednesday, with the US military saying the drones posed a threat around the Strait of Hormuz.

The incident comes amid a fragile ceasefire between the US and Iran and talks aimed at ending a three-month war. The Strait of Hormuz is a vital shipping route, and traffic there has already been choked during the conflict. Global energy prices have also risen as a result of the disruption, making any new escalation around the waterway closely watched.

The latest strikes follow earlier US self-defence attacks in southern Iran earlier this week, when Centcom said it targeted Iranian missile sites and boats attempting to lay mines. Those strikes were also described as intended to protect US troops from threats posed by Iranian forces. The new action suggests the ceasefire remains under strain even as negotiations continue.

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US President Donald Trump said during a cabinet meeting on Wednesday that Iran was "negotiating on fumes" and warned that his war strategy would not be affected by November's US midterm elections. He also said the US was "not satisfied" and suggested the campaign could resume if Iran did not agree to his terms. He urged Gulf nations to sign on to the Abraham Accords, while also saying a peace deal with Iran had been "largely negotiated" over the weekend before taking a harder line.

Iran has condemned the strikes as a grave violation of the ceasefire and said it would not leave any act of hostility unanswered. Its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps also said it had downed a US drone and fired at a fighter jet and another drone that entered Iranian airspace, although it did not specify when. What remains unclear is the full extent of damage in Bandar Abbas, whether there were any casualties, and how the latest exchange will affect the ceasefire and negotiations in the coming days.

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