US launches second airstrike on southern Iran near Bandar Abbas as Doha peace talks continue
Strait of Hormuz commercial traffic faces fresh disruption risk after US forces struck targets near Bandar Abbas in southern Iran, the second round in three days. CENTCOM called it self-defence. The IRGC said it retaliated by hitting a US airbase. Iranian negotiators remain in Do
Strait of Hormuz commercial traffic faces fresh disruption risk after US Central Command launched a second round of airstrikes near Bandar Abbas in southern Iran this week. The targets were located around 70 kilometres from the strait, a critical route for global energy supplies. CENTCOM described the operations as self-defence strikes intended to protect US troops and commercial maritime traffic, and said US forces also intercepted multiple Iranian drones during the operation. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it responded by attacking a US airbase at approximately 4:50 a.m. local time. The IRGC warned that further US strikes would be met with a stronger response. The exchange comes despite a Pakistan-mediated ceasefire that has been nominally in place since April 8. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf remain in Doha, where they are conducting negotiations with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said talks are continuing over the specific language of a potential agreement, and President Trump has said a memorandum of understanding is close to finalisation. The framework reportedly includes provisions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz.