US strikes military site in Iran as Trump blasts Tehran's peace plan as 'total fabrication'
The US military carried out new strikes overnight in Iran targeting a military site near the Strait of Hormuz that officials believed posed a threat to American forces and commercial shipping.An official, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said the US military has also intercepted and shot down multiple Iranian drones that posed a similar threat.'Today, US Central Command forces shot down four Iranian one-way attack drones that posed a threat around the Strait of Hormuz,' the official said. 'US forces also struck an Iranian ground control station in Bandar Abbas that was about to launch a fifth drone. These actions were measured, purely defensive, and intended to maintain the ceasefire.' Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Thursday they responded by targeting a US airbase early in the morning. The IRGC did not say where the base is.They warned that any repeat of what they called aggression would draw a 'more decisive' response and said responsibility for the consequences lay with the 'aggressor'. Kuwait - which hosts a large US base - said it was responding to missile and drone attacks without saying where the attacks were coming from.Israel, which has been fighting Iran-backed Hezbollah militants in southern Lebanon, also reported sounding sirens regarding hostile aircraft activity in northern Israel. The US military carried out new strikes overnight in Iran targeting a military site that officials believed posed a threat to American forces and commercial maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz An official, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said the US military has also intercepted and shot down multiple Iranian drones that posed a similar threatThe strikes came during negotiations to end a three-month-old war that has killed thousands and sent global energy prices sharply higher since it began on February 28 with US and Israeli attacks.Trump said Wednesday he was not yet satisfied with Iran's offers to make a deal, after Iranian state television reported details of what it claimed was a draft agreement.Iranian state TV said earlier Wednesday that a draft outline of a memorandum of understanding with Washington included a commitment to lift the naval blockade on Iran, restore traffic in the Strait of Hormuz and withdraw US forces from the Gulf.The White House called the report a 'complete fabrication.'Speaking at a cabinet meeting in the White House, Trump added that he was in no rush to reach an accord to end the Middle East war, despite saying at the weekend that one was close.'Iran is very much intent, they want very much to make a deal. So far they haven't gotten there. We're not satisfied with it, but we will be,' Trump said.'Either that or we'll have to just finish the job,' he said, referring to threats to resume the military operations that the United States and Israel launched on February 28 and paused in April.Trump added that the Iranians were 'negotiating on fumes.' US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks during a press briefing at the Pentagon Donald Trump earlier on Wednesday dismissed an Iranian state media report that Iran and Oman would jointly manage shipping through the Strait of Hormuz as part of a peace dealSecretary of State Marco Rubio, sitting next to Trump, said there had been 'some progress and some interest' in the talks with Iran.'We'll see over the next few hours and days whether progress can be made,' said Rubio.Trump did not respond directly to the Iranian state TV report of a draft agreement, and gave sometimes contradictory accounts about how the negotiations were going.He said that 'nobody' including Iran would control the Strait of Hormuz and rejected reports that Iran and the Gulf state of Oman could control a toll system for the waterway.The President said the waterway would remain open.Trump insisted that he was not in a hurry to reach a deal, despite the Iran war causing the cost of living to spike for Americans ahead of midterm elections in November.The Republican has record low approval ratings with less than six months until the vote that will determine whether his party keeps control of Congress.'They thought they were going to outwait me, you know, 'we'll outwait him, he's got the midterms,'' Trump said, referring to Iran. US Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum (L), US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (2nd L) and US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth (R) listen to US President Donald Trump (C) weigh options on Iran in a cabinet meeting'I don't care about the midterms.'The US last carried out what it called defensive strikes against Iran on Monday, in what Iran called a violation of the countries' fragile ceasefire. American targets included boats attempting to lay mines and missile launch sites that the US military's Central Command said posed a threat to US forces. Trump warned Wednesday that he may have to 'finish the job' and Tehran said its forces were still 'lying in wait with full magazines.'The mixed signals underscored the fragile state of talks aimed at ending a Middle East war that has shaken global energy markets and effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz.Trump also appeared to direct a warning at Oman, a US ally and mediator in the conflict, when asked about a possible short-term arrangement allowing Iran and Oman to control the Strait of Hormuz.'No, the strait is going to be open to everybody,' Trump said. 'It's international waters and Oman will behave just like everybody else or we'll have to blow them up. They understand that, they'll be fine.'The White House did not immediately clarify whether Trump had misspoken. Oman has played a mediation role in the war and has itself come under attack from Tehran. Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Thursday they responded by targeting a US airbase early in the morning. The IRGC did not say where the base isSenior Iranian Revolutionary Guards official Mohammad Akbarzadeh said the likelihood of 'war is low because of the enemy's weakness', but warned the military was 'lying in wait with full magazines' if attacked, Tasnim news agency reported.Trump, who said at the weekend a deal was close, also told the cabinet meeting he was in no rush.The Middle East war erupted in late February with US-Israeli strikes on Iran, sending oil prices soaring.Hopes of an imminent deal sent benchmark oil contracts falling more than five percent Wednesday.Global stocks mostly rose, with all three major US indices posting modest gains and fresh records, as investors looked past conflicting signals from Washington and Tehran.Traders were also buoyed by a retreat in US Treasury yields as oil prices fell, while another surge in technology stocks added momentum to the rally.Economists have warned that prolonged disruption in Hormuz could keep energy prices elevated, feed inflation and force central banks to raise interest rates.A day earlier, Iran accused the US of breaching the ceasefire after the most serious strikes since the truce took effect, and warned it was ready to retaliate.The US military said it launched 'self-defense strikes' on Iranian missile sites and mine-laying boats overnight Monday to Tuesday.Tehran's intelligence ministry accused the US and Israel of seeking to overthrow the Islamic republic, partition Iran, foment division and carry out sabotage. Iran and the US have traded threats for weeks while negotiating through Pakistani mediation.Neither side appears ready to compromise on the main sticking points: Hormuz and Iran's nuclear programme.On Wednesday, the Revolutionary Guards' navy said only ships 'willing to abide by Iranian order' could pass through Hormuz.US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday that a deal remained within reach, but that the Hormuz would be reopened 'one way or the other'.Iranian authorities also partially restored access to the global internet Tuesday after a three-month shutdown.
