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The U.S. military said it intercepted Iranian attacks on three Navy ships in the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday and responded with self-defense strikes, underscoring how quickly tensions can flare even as U.S. and Iranian leaders seek a negotiated end to their month-old ceasefire. In a social media post, U.S. Central Command said U.S. forces intercepted what it called “unprovoked Iranian attacks,” and that it “targeted Iranian military facilities responsible for attacking U.S. forces.” The U.S. military said no ships were hit and added that it does not seek escalation while remaining ready to protect American forces.
President Donald Trump told reporters in Washington that the ceasefire was holding despite the violence. Trump said, “They trifled with us today. We blew them away,” and later warned that if a deal is not signed, “they’re going to have a lot of pain.” When asked how close Washington was to an agreement, Trump said, “It could happen any day,” but added, “And it might not happen.”
Iran’s state media described the episode differently. Iranian outlets said the country’s armed forces exchanged fire with “the enemy” on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz. The reports also said there were loud noises and defensive fire in western Tehran, and explosions were heard near Bandar Abbas in southern Iran, according to semiofficial reports from Fars and Tasnim.
The exchanges came amid an active diplomatic effort in which Pakistan has been mediating peace talks. The ceasefire between Washington and Tehran has largely held since April 8, after the war began Feb. 28 when the U.S. and Israel launched strikes against Iran. In-person talks hosted by Pakistan last month failed to reach an agreement, and Tehran said Thursday it was reviewing the latest U.S. proposals for ending the war.
An Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmail Baghaei, said Iran was reviewing messages from Pakistan but “has not yet reached a conclusion, and no response has been given to the U.S. side,” Iranian state TV reported. In parallel, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed Middle East peace efforts with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican, a move tied to earlier public sparring between Trump and the pope, according to AP reporting. AP also reported that Rubio met the pope to mend fences after Trump’s criticism of Pope Leo XIV.
Pakistan’s government said it expected progress soon. Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar spoke by phone Thursday with Iran’s Abbas Araghchi, and Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said, “We expect an agreement sooner rather than later,” while saying it hoped the parties would reach a peaceful and sustainable solution. Tahir Andrabi, a Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesperson, declined to provide a timeline, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Islamabad remained in “continuous contact with Iran and the United States, day and night, to stop the war and extend the ceasefire.”
The Strait of Hormuz episode also drew renewed attention to shipping and freedom of navigation. Earlier in the day, a shipping data company, Lloyd’s List Intelligence, reported that Iran has created a government agency to vet and tax vessels seeking passage through the strait, reporting that it is positioning itself as “the only valid authority to grant permission to ships transiting the strait.” Lloyd’s said the authority had emailed it an application form for ships seeking passage.
Maritime disruptions have raised concerns for global trade, with Lloyd’s reporting that hundreds of commercial vessels were bottled up in the Persian Gulf and unable to reach open sea. The AP report said maritime law experts view Iran’s vetting or taxing demands as violating international law, pointing to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea requirement to permit peaceful passage through territorial waters. The report also said the U.S. and Gulf allies are pushing for a U.N. Security Council resolution condemning Iran’s chokehold on the strait and threatening sanctions, after a prior resolution calling for reopening the strait was vetoed by Russia and China.
On the Iranian side of the negotiations, AP reported that top officials have said Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is overseeing key parts of the talks, and that Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said he met recently for more than two hours with Khamenei. Pezeshkian’s comments were aired on Iranian state television and praised Khamenei’s “sincere” behavior during an in-person meeting, while AP reported that Khamenei has released only written statements since being named supreme leader in March.
In Washington, the U.S. has also signaled it may intensify pressure if talks fail. The AP report said Trump administration messages have shifted from emphasizing the tenuous ceasefire and previous statements that military operations were over to threats of bombing if Iran does not accept a deal that allows for resumption of oil and natural gas shipments disrupted by the conflict. The AP report also said a Saudi official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Saudi Arabia did not support a U.S. effort described as “Project Freedom” to force a shipping passage through the strait and said the kingdom told Washington it could not use Saudi territories and bases.