The United States has launched fresh military strikes near Iran’s strategic port city of Bandar Abbas, marking the second attack in less than a week and raising fears of renewed conflict around the Strait of Hormuz despite a fragile ceasefire between Washington and Tehran.
According to Reuters and The Associated Press, citing unnamed US officials, American forces shot down four Iranian drones and targeted a drone control station in Bandar Abbas on Wednesday. The operation came a day after explosions were reported in the city, prompting Iran to accuse Washington of violating the April 8 ceasefire through “aggressive acts” in Hormozgan province.
Iranian media also claimed Tehran responded by targeting an American airbase in the region after the US operation near Bandar Abbas.
The latest escalation followed comments by US President Donald Trump, who declared during a cabinet meeting that “nobody’s going to control” the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global shipping route through which nearly one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas supplies pass.
Bandar Abbas holds enormous military and economic significance for Iran. It serves as the headquarters of both Iran’s conventional navy and the naval wing of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The city also plays a central role in Iran’s oil exports and regional maritime operations.
Analysts say both Washington and Tehran are simultaneously pursuing diplomacy and military pressure, with limited strikes increasingly being used as leverage in ongoing negotiations over Iran’s nuclear programme and regional security arrangements.
