IRAN AND U.S. TRADE STRIKES AS HORMUZ DEAL HANGS IN BALANCE

The United States and Iran traded new strikes Thursday around the Strait of Hormuz, even as a reported outline agreement to extend their ceasefire and begin nuclear talks remained under review by President Donald Trump. Reuters reported that Axios said the two sides had reached a 60-day memorandum of understanding to extend the truce and start negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program, but that the deal still required Trump’s approval.

The latest military exchange began after the U.S. carried out new strikes inside Iran. A U.S. official told Reuters that American forces struck an Iranian ground-control station in Bandar Abbas that was about to launch a drone, and also shot down five Iranian one-way attack drones that Washington said threatened U.S. forces and commercial shipping near Hormuz. The official described the strikes as “measured,” “purely defensive,” and intended to preserve the ceasefire.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it responded by targeting the U.S. base responsible for the attack near Bandar Abbas airport, according to Tasnim reporting cited by Reuters. The IRGC warned that any further repeat would bring a “more decisive response.” Reuters separately reported that Iran said it targeted a U.S. airbase at 4:50 a.m. local time, but did not identify the base’s location in that account.

Kuwait’s role adds another layer of uncertainty. Reuters reported that Kuwaiti forces intercepted a ballistic missile fired toward the country, which hosts a large U.S. base. Kuwait’s army also said its air defenses were intercepting hostile missile and drone threats, but did not say where the threats came from. The army urged the public to follow official safety instructions and said explosion sounds were the result of air-defense interceptions.

The violence threatens an already fragile ceasefire that began in early April after weeks of war triggered by U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran on February 28. Reuters said the latest attacks were limited but showed how vulnerable negotiations remain as diplomats try to turn the temporary truce into a longer agreement and reopen the Strait of Hormuz shipping route.

Markets reflected the uncertainty. Reuters reported that oil prices were up more than 2% earlier in the session after the IRGC claimed it had targeted a U.S. airbase, then reversed course after the Axios report of a possible ceasefire extension and nuclear-talks framework. Brent crude later traded at $94.07 a barrel, down 0.2%, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate was unchanged at $88.68.

The economic pressure track is also escalating. The U.S. Treasury sanctioned Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority on May 27, accusing it of acting as an IRGC-linked body to impose illegitimate tolls and directions on vessels transiting Hormuz. Treasury warned that anyone cooperating with the authority may be exposed to sanctions risk, and said the authority was being designated under counterterrorism sanctions for supporting the IRGC.

The core problem is that both sides are still negotiating while continuing to use force. Washington says its strikes are defensive and meant to protect forces and shipping. Tehran says U.S. strikes violate the ceasefire and require retaliation. Mediators are still trying to preserve a deal, but each new strike makes it harder to separate military messaging from diplomacy.

For now, the Hormuz deal is not dead, but it is clearly under strain. If Trump approves the reported memorandum, the ceasefire could gain another 60 days and open a path to nuclear talks. If the military exchanges continue, the agreement may fail before it has a chance to become more than paper.

Fact-check date: 28 May 2026
Sources: Reuters, U.S. Treasury, Axios reporting via Reuters, Tasnim reporting via Reuters

[IMG]https://vepbrgvfdbpwzesrqysv.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/article-images/1779981540975-q3ku1htxwqf.png||Mission Offline Desk[/IMG]