U.S.-IRAN STRIKES AND KUWAIT ATTACK TEST HORMUZ CEASEFIRE

The fragile U.S.-Iran ceasefire came under new pressure Thursday after the United States said it struck an Iranian military site near Bandar Abbas and downed four Iranian one-way attack drones near the Strait of Hormuz. A U.S. official told Reuters the site was a ground-control station preparing to launch another drone, and described the action as defensive

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps later said it had targeted a U.S. airbase in retaliation for the Bandar Abbas strike, according to Reuters reporting on a Tasnim news agency statement. The IRGC did not specify the base location in Reuters’ report, but said the attack took place at 4:50 a.m. local time and warned that further U.S. “aggression” would bring a more decisive response.

The escalation widened further when Kuwait said it faced a missile and drone attack. The Associated Press reported that Kuwait did not initially identify the target and that no group had claimed responsibility. AP also noted the attack came shortly after the U.S. strikes and Iran’s stated retaliation, raising concern that the ceasefire may be turning into a series of regional flashpoints rather than a stable pause in fighting.

The Strait of Hormuz remains the center of the crisis. The U.S. strike near Bandar Abbas came as Washington and Tehran continued talks over reopening the waterway, which is central to global oil and liquefied natural gas shipping. Reuters reported that the new U.S. strikes followed President Donald Trump’s rejection of Iranian state media claims about a possible framework for reopening the strait, including a proposal involving Iran and Oman managing traffic there.

The market response showed how sensitive the conflict remains. Oil had fallen earlier on hopes that U.S.-Iran talks could move toward a Hormuz reopening, but Reuters reported that prices rebounded after the U.S. strikes revived escalation concerns. That reversal underscores the practical problem facing negotiators: even if diplomatic talks continue, shippers and energy markets are still reacting to drones, missile claims, and uncertainty over safe passage.

The competing claims are difficult to verify in real time. Washington says its strikes were limited and defensive, aimed at protecting U.S. forces and maritime traffic. Tehran says it responded to U.S. aggression. Kuwait’s reported attack adds another unresolved layer because early reporting did not establish whether it was directly connected to Iran, Iran-aligned actors, or the wider conflict environment.

The immediate risk is not only a formal collapse of the ceasefire. It is that the ceasefire becomes hollow in practice: negotiations continue, but military exchanges keep occurring around the same shipping lanes and Gulf states that any peace deal is supposed to stabilize. That kind of pattern can make insurers, shipping companies, and regional governments slower to treat a Hormuz reopening as safe, even if officials announce progress.

For now, the clearest reading is that diplomacy remains active but strained. The U.S. and Iran are still talking, but the military track is moving at the same time, and Kuwait’s reported attack suggests the pressure is no longer contained to U.S.-Iran positions alone. Until Washington, Tehran, and Gulf governments clarify the next steps, Hormuz remains both a negotiating table and an active regional risk zone.

Fact-check date: 28 May 2026
Sources: Reuters, Associated Press, Tasnim via Reuters

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