u003cpu003eU.S. and Iranian forces exchanged another round of attacks this morning, with the Pentagon countering strikes on Iranian military sites in the Gulf while Tehran responded by targeting several U.S. bases in the region, including the U.S. Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain. Simultaneously, Trump denied that talks between Washington and Tehran have been paused for days, as was widely reported earlier this week.u003c/pu003e
u003cpu003eIranian media reported around 3 a.m. local time that explosions were heard on the coastal island of Geshm, near the Strait of Hormuz. Moments later, air raid sirens blared across Kuwait and the sky over Bahrain echoed with alarms. Kuwaiti military sources stated they were intercepting incoming “hostile” missiles and drones from Iran.u003c/pu003e
u003cpu003eAbout two hours later, the U.S. Central Command posted on social media that Iran launched multiple ballistic missiles toward several regional countries but all failed to hit their targets. Two missiles aimed at Kuwait either failed to reach the area or disintegrated mid-flight; three missiles aimed at Bahrain were intercepted by a joint American-Bahraini air defense force. The U.S. also claimed to have shot down three Iranian one-way attack drones, which it said were intended to attack “civilian ships and sailors in the region.” Additionally, the Central Command said it conducted a “defensive” airstrike on an Iranian military ground control station in Geshm. No U.S. casualties were reported during the incident.u003c/pu003e
u003cpu003eAlmost at the same time, Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that, on the night of the 2nd, U.S. forces attacked an Iranian oil tanker linked to the IRGC in the Strait of Hormuz. In retaliation, the IRGC Navy struck a vessel belonging to the U.S.-Israel coalition. Then, the U.S. carried out an airstrike on a communications site operated by the IRGC on Geshm Island. As a response, the IRGC’s aerospace forces launched missiles and drones at the U.S. Fifth Fleet headquarters and an Air Force base in the Middle East.u003c/pu003e
u003cpu003eHowever, U.S. Central Command quickly denied that the Fifth Fleet or any American air base had been hit by Iranian missiles or drones, stating that all Iranian attacks on the U.S. failed entirely.u003c/pu003e
u003cpu003eOver the past weeks, similar mutual strike incidents have occurred repeatedly, with both sides blaming each other. U.S. media noted that the intensity of this most recent exchange was significantly higher than previous ones.u003c/pu003e
u003cpu003eEarlier that day, a radio recording from a maritime public channel provided exclusively to Xinhua News Agency by sailors aboard a merchant vessel stuck in the Strait of Hormuz revealed that U.S. fighter jets attacked an Iranian-linked oil tanker late on the night of the 2nd. The recording captured the U.S. aircraft warning the tanker: “This is a U.S. military plane. We’re going to open fire on your engine room. Stop the ship, stop the ship, evacuate the crew.” The crew eventually sent a distress signal saying their engine room was on fire and they were abandoning ship.u003c/pu003e
u003cpu003eThe U.S. Central Command confirmed the strike, identifying the targeted vessel as the “LEXIE,” flying the flag of Botswana, which was traveling in international waters toward Iran’s Hormozgan Province. The crew, it said, ignored repeated warnings and refused orders from U.S. forces. In the end, a U.S. aircraft launched a “Hellfire” missile at the tanker’s engine room, disabling it and preventing the vessel from reaching Iran.u003c/pu003e
u003cpu003eOn the same day, U.S. Secretary of State Rubio told a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing that the U.S. was still negotiating with Iran. “We could reach an agreement today, tomorrow, or perhaps next week,” he said, “but that doesn’t guarantee it will be something the Congress will ultimately support.”u003c/pu003e
u003cpu003eRubio added that Washington had not proposed lifting sanctions on Iran nor allowing access to frozen Iranian assets as leverage to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. “Never was this discussed, never was this offered,” he insisted. “Any relief from sanctions must come with conditions—meaning, the prerequisite must be resolving the original reason for those sanctions, namely Iran’s nuclear program.”u003c/pu003e
u003cpu003eOn the same day, Trump denied that U.S.-Iran talks had been paused for days, calling reports of a halt “false and wrong.”u003c/pu003e
u003cpu003eSpeaking on social media, Trump said: “Our conversations continue—four days ago, three days ago, two days ago, one day ago, and today. No one can know where they’re heading, but just as I told Iran: ‘It’s time, regardless—this has to be done.’”u003c/pu003e
u003cpu003eAccording to Iran’s Fars News Agency on the 2nd, an insider close to Iran’s negotiating team revealed that the exchange of information regarding a谅解备忘录 (memorandum of understanding) with the United States had paused for several days. The last message sent by Tehran before the pause was related to the Lebanon situation.u003c/pu003e
