Tensions between the United States (US) and Iran have escalated again as Tehran condemned Washington's latest attack near the Strait of Hormuz and described it as a serious violation of the fragile ceasefire.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that they had targeted a US air base in the Middle East region in response to American military attacks in southern Iran.
Although the IRGC did not disclose the location of the base, Kuwait, which is home to several US military bases, confirmed that it had successfully intercepted a missile and drone threat that was considered hostile.
Previously, the US military announced that it had shot down several Iranian drones in the Strait of Hormuz and launched an attack on a military site in Bandar Abbas, Iran's strategic port city.
According to the US Central Command (Centcom), the attack was carried out after it detected that the site was preparing to launch a fifth drone that was allegedly threatening the security of US troops and international trade routes.
Centcom insisted that the action was defensive and aimed at maintaining the stability of the increasingly shaky ceasefire.
At the same time, the US military also announced that four Iranian attack drones were successfully shot down after being detected moving near the Strait of Hormuz.
However, Iran condemned the action and stressed that the Tehran government will not allow any hostile act to go unanswered.
Earlier this week, the US also confirmed another series of “self-defense” strikes in southern Iran that targeted missile sites and Iranian boats that were allegedly trying to lay mines in the Strait of Hormuz.
The ongoing conflict in the area has caused major disruption to the world’s energy trade routes as thousands of commercial tankers were reportedly stranded due to escalating geopolitical tensions.
To add to the pressure on Tehran, Washington has also imposed sanctions on the “Persian Gulf Strait Authority”, an Iranian body responsible for collecting fees from ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
The US Treasury Department has warned that any ship that makes payments to the body risks being sanctioned by Washington.
The Strait of Hormuz is the world’s most important shipping route with almost a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies passing through the area every day.
Iran, however, insisted that the fee collection was for navigation and maritime traffic management services in the strategic route.
In other developments, the IRGC also claimed to have shot down a US drone and attacked a fighter jet and another drone that were allegedly invading Iranian airspace.
Protracted negotiations have been underway to end a three-month war that has choked traffic in the Strait of Hormuz and sent global energy prices soaring.
