The war between the United States and Iran ground into its 96th day with another round of tit-for-tat strikes around the Strait of Hormuz, even as mediators said they had assembled a 60-day memorandum of understanding meant to stabilise a ceasefire that has held only in name. The latest exchanges underscored how far apart the two sides remain on the battlefield while their negotiators inch toward a more durable truce.
The US military said it struck an Iranian Revolutionary Guard ground-control station on Qeshm Island, in the strait, describing the action as self-defence; Iran's foreign ministry said a telecommunications tower had been hit and called the strike and others 'acts of aggression' that violated the ceasefire. The IRGC, in turn, said it had targeted American military assets in the Gulf, including the headquarters of the US Navy's Fifth Fleet in Bahrain and an airbase, in response to the American attacks.
US Central Command said it intercepted multiple Iranian missiles and drones overnight and reported no American casualties, while Kuwait and Bahrain again activated their air defences a day after a drone struck Kuwait International Airport, killing one person and wounding dozens. The pattern of strikes and counter-strikes has persisted despite a ceasefire that nominally took effect on 8 April and was extended indefinitely later that month.
Diplomatically, US and Iranian negotiators reached a 60-day memorandum to extend the truce and begin talks over Iran's nuclear programme, according to people familiar with the process, though President Trump has still to approve the document. Asked about the prospects, Mr Trump said only that 'one never knows' where the talks might lead, while insisting that diplomacy remained alive.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Congress that Washington would offer sanctions relief only in exchange for nuclear concessions, rejecting any arrangement tied narrowly to passage through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's chief negotiator countered that Tehran could walk away from the table if Israeli attacks on Lebanon continued, linking the Gulf standoff to the parallel fighting to the north.
The confrontation over the strait, through which roughly a fifth of globally traded oil passes, has kept a risk premium in energy markets, with Brent crude hovering near $97 a barrel. Each strike near the waterway revives fears that the world's most important oil choke point could be drawn deeper into the conflict.
For the Gulf monarchies that host American forces while trading with all sides, the renewed strikes were a reminder of their exposure to a war they have tried to stay out of. Whether the 60-day memorandum becomes the basis for a lasting settlement or another discarded draft is likely to depend on whether Mr Trump signs it and whether the fighting in Lebanon can be contained.