The U.S. said it struck Iranian military sites over the weekend, and Iran reported Monday that it targeted an American base in response, marking the latest exchange in a series of attacks as negotiations continue to end the 3-month-old war.
Since a planned cease-fire took effect in early April, the U.S. and Iran have sporadically exchanged strikes while diplomacy for a more durable agreement drags on. A similar exchange occurred last Thursday and was described in nearly identical terms by both sides.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said Monday it targeted an airbase used by the U.S. for an attack on southern Iran, without identifying the base. It is believed to be in Kuwait, which said it intercepted missile and drone attacks Monday morning. In a statement, the Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry said it reserved the right to take “all necessary measures” to defend its territory and security.
The U.S. strikes on Iran’s Gulf coast were in response to “aggressive Iranian actions that included the shootdown of a U.S. MQ-1 drone that was operating over international waters,” the U.S. military’s Central Command, or Centcom, said on X.
“U.S. fighter aircraft swiftly responded by eliminating Iranian air defenses, a ground control station and two one-way attack drones that posed clear threats to ships transiting regional waters,” Centcom said, adding that it would continue to protect U.S. assets and interests during the cease-fire.
Tehran defended its recent strikes on U.S.-linked military facilities, arguing that countries hosting bases used in attacks against Iran could not evade responsibility.
After weeks of faltering diplomacy, Washington and Tehran were reportedly close late last week to a deal that would halt the fighting and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Draft proposals brokered by Qatari and Pakistani mediators would extend the cease-fire for 60 days while negotiations continued over Iran’s nuclear program. Yet hopes of a breakthrough were repeatedly dashed as both sides balked at key concessions, exposing the deep mistrust that has plagued the talks from the outset.
Iran blamed stalled cease-fire talks on deep mistrust of Washington, accusing the U.S. of shifting its demands while continuing to back Israeli military operations across the region. Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said negotiations were taking place in an atmosphere of suspicion, making progress difficult.
Baghaei said Monday that there were currently no exchanges with the U.S. over the details of Tehran’s nuclear program. “We know when it is necessary to act on nuclear matters. No negotiations have taken place on the details of the nuclear file. At this stage, our priority is ending the war,” he said in a weekly press briefing.
The latest exchange underscored the fragility of the cease-fire, which has been repeatedly tested by cross-border attacks even as diplomats seek a broader settlement. Iran has maintained restrictions around the Strait of Hormuz throughout the conflict, while analysts say its missile campaign has inflicted significant damage on U.S. military infrastructure across the Middle East.
The war launched by the U.S. and Israel on Feb. 28 has killed thousands of people, mainly in Iran and Lebanon, and caused global economic pain by pushing up energy prices due to Iran’s effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
