Washington, United States. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said on Thursday it targeted a U.S. airbase after the U.S. military carried out strikes, according to a Washington official, on an Iranian drone operation near the Strait of Hormuz. The escalation came hours after President Donald Trump rejected a report that he was close to a compromise deal with Tehran.
Ceasefire under pressure
The latest violence heightened concerns about the fragile ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran that took effect in early April. It also reduced hopes for a peace deal and pushed oil prices higher.
A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of military operations, told Reuters that the military shot down four Iranian attack drones and struck a ground control station in the port city of Bandar Abbas that was preparing to launch a fifth drone.
“These actions were measured, purely defensive and intended to maintain the ceasefire,” the official said.
Iranian response
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it targeted a U.S. base in response to what it described as an early morning U.S. attack near Bandar Abbas airport, Tasnim news agency reported. The IRGC said the target was the U.S. airbase from which the attack on the control station near Bandar Abbas was launched.
Kuwait, which hosts a large U.S. base, said it was responding to missile and drone attacks, without saying where the attacks originated.
Israel, which has been fighting Iran-backed Hezbollah militants in southern Lebanon, also reported sounding sirens after detecting hostile aircraft activity in northern Israel.
Markets react
Oil prices, after falling more than 5% on Wednesday, rebounded following reports of the escalation. U.S. crude futures CLc1 gained more than 3%, while stocks fell and the dollar rose.
The war has killed thousands and pushed global energy prices sharply higher since it began on February 28 with U.S. and Israeli strikes.
Trump dismisses report
Trump has repeatedly said a deal is close at hand. At a cabinet meeting attended by media on Wednesday, he dismissed an Iranian state TV report that it had obtained an unofficial draft agreement to restore commercial shipping through the strait to prewar levels within a month, with Iran and Oman jointly managing traffic.
