U.S., Iran Trade Fresh Strikes as Gulf Ceasefire Talks Face New Test

by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Chief

(Worthy News) – The United States and Iran exchanged new strikes over the weekend, raising fresh concerns across the Gulf even as negotiators continue working toward a deal aimed at winding down the fighting.

U.S. Central Command said American warplanes struck Iranian air-defense radar sites and drone command-and-control facilities on Qeshm Island and in Gorik, located in Iran’s Hormozgan province, on Saturday and Sunday. The strikes followed Iran’s downing of an American MQ-1 drone, CENTCOM said.

U.S. fighters also intercepted and destroyed two Iranian attack drones that officials said posed a threat to ships operating in the region.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it had responded to the U.S. attacks. Early Monday, Kuwait’s army said the country was under missile and drone attack, though it did not immediately identify the source. State media reported that alarms sounded across the country.

Kuwait has been among the Gulf nations most affected during the conflict and has come under fire during previous skirmishes despite a ceasefire that took effect in early April.

The latest escalation comes as the U.S. and Iran discuss a memorandum of understanding that would extend the ceasefire, reopen blocked navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, and establish a renewable 60-day window to address Iran’s nuclear program and sanctions relief.

President Donald Trump suggested ahead of the weekend that a deal was close, though mediators have said key issues remain unresolved, including nuclear commitments and the timing and scope of any financial relief for Tehran.

American conservatives and Israeli officials remain wary of any agreement that eases pressure on Iran without securing firm concessions on its nuclear ambitions or its control over the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most vital maritime chokepoints.

Trump said Monday that Iran wants a deal, but warned that public criticism and commentary were making negotiations more difficult.

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