U.S. warplanes attacked Iranian radar sites and drone command-and-control facilities on Qeshm Island and Gorik in Iran’s Hormuzgan province over the weekend after Iran shot down an American MQ-1 drone, according to the U.S. Central Command. The strikes, conducted Saturday and Sunday, also saw U.S. fighters shoot down two Iranian attack drones that Central Command said posed a threat to commercial and naval vessels operating in the Strait of Hormuz. Central Command said the strikes were a defensive response to the Iranian downing of the MQ-1, a medium-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aircraft used primarily for surveillance and reconnaissance.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the Iranian military force tasked with protecting the regime and maintaining control over the strategic Strait of Hormuz, said early Sunday that it had shot down the MQ-1 after it flew over what the Guard described as Iranian territorial waters. The Guard said it had responded to the U.S. strikes, but it did not provide specific details on the nature or scope of its retaliatory actions.
The exchange of fire came as the U.S. and Iran were working to finalize a memorandum of understanding that would wind down months of open hostilities. President Donald Trump indicated on social media Monday that Iran wants to make a deal but said that “criticism and commentary” were making it harder to achieve one. He did not elaborate on the specific obstacles he was referring to.
Under the proposed memorandum, the U.S. and Iran would lift their respective blockages in the Strait of Hormuz — the narrow waterway through which about a fifth of the world’s oil passes — extend the existing cease-fire and establish an extendible 60-day period to resolve outstanding disputes. Key unresolved issues include the scope of Iran’s nuclear commitments and the timing and scale of any financial sanctions relief, according to mediators.
Hard-liners in the U.S. and Israel have expressed wariness about a deal with Iran, arguing that it could ease pressure on the Iranian government at a moment when it is militarily weakened, without securing verifiable concessions on its nuclear program or guaranteed freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.
Kuwait’s army said Monday that the country was under attack by missiles and drones, without specifying their origin. State media reported that alarms had sounded across the country. Kuwait was one of the hardest-hit Gulf nations during the earlier phases of the war and has continued to come under fire during periodic skirmishes under the cease-fire that took effect in early April.
The weekend strikes represent the latest escalation in a cycle of attack and retaliation that has persisted even as both sides have publicly signaled interest in a negotiated end to the fighting. The U.S. and Iran have each carried out dozens of strikes against military targets since the cease-fire took effect, with each side accusing the other of violating its terms.