The night's attacks appear to have begun when Iranian forces fired on four ships attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz, state-run Iranian television channel Irib reported, according to AFP.
The development could affect peace negotiations between the US and Iran. As recently as Wednesday, Iran said it had received a first draft of a framework for an agreement with the US.
A central issue in the proposal has been restoring traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has effectively closed.
Drone attack on Kuwait
According to US Central Command (Centcom), Iran fired a ballistic missile toward Kuwait that was shot down by Kuwaiti forces. In a statement, Centcom called it a “serious violation of the ceasefire.”
The drone attack came hours after Iran launched five attack drones into the Strait of Hormuz, according to the US military. All of the drones were shot down. US forces then carried out a counterattack on a base in the Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas.
Iran's Revolutionary Guard, in turn, said that it responded to the US "aggression" by attacking the US air base that was the "source of the attack." It is not clear from the Iranian statement whether the attack on Kuwait is what is meant.
Iran condemns
The Iranian Foreign Ministry condemned the US attack as a violation of the current ceasefire, AFP reports. Spokesman Esmail Baghaei said in a statement that Iran “will take all necessary measures” to defend its sovereignty. He also condemned “the threatening rhetoric of US officials” against Iran and other countries in the region.
A US source described the US strikes to NBC News as defensive, saying the Iranian drones posed a threat. According to the source, the US strikes were limited and have not led to the resumption of more extensive attacks on Iran.
Earlier this week, the United States carried out attacks on Iran, which the United States also described as self-defense. Iran, however, called it a violation of the ceasefire.
Iran and the US have been exchanging threats for weeks, while the countries have simultaneously negotiated through Pakistani mediation.
