US strikes Iran again, official says, after Trump denies deal on Strait of Hormuz

The US military carried out strikes in Iran’s Bandar Abbas on May 27, shooting down four Iranian attack drones and targeting a ground control station linked to a fifth drone, according to a US official. The action followed Iranian forces firing warning shots at vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, forcing them to turn back. The US official described the strikes as defensive measures to uphold a ceasefire that took effect in early April, though Iran called the US actions a violation of the agreement. Iran’s Tasnim news agency reported that the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Navy fired warning shots at a US oil tanker attempting to pass through the strait, prompting the US military response. Iranian media later stated that four vessels were turned back by warning shots on May 28. The US Treasury Department also sanctioned the Persian Gulf Strait Authority, an Iranian entity managing strait traffic, citing threats to US national security. President Donald Trump dismissed an Iranian state TV report claiming an unofficial draft deal with Oman to restore commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz within a month. Trump stated no single country would control the waterway, adding, ‘Nobody’s going to control (the strait). It’s international waters.’ He implied Oman would comply with US demands or face consequences, though the White House and Oman’s embassy did not respond to requests for comment. The Iranian TV report suggested the US would lift its blockade of Iranian ports and withdraw military forces from the region, but Trump’s comments and renewed military action indicated no progress in negotiations. Ebrahim Azizi, head of Iran’s parliament national security committee, criticized Trump’s threats, stating Iran would not abandon demands for uranium enrichment rights, strait authority, and sanctions relief. Oil prices initially dropped over 5% on May 27 but rebounded after reports of the US strikes, with US crude futures rising nearly 2% to $90.38 a barrel in early Asian trading on May 28. The US Treasury’s sanctions on the Persian Gulf Strait Authority further escalated tensions, reinforcing the standoff between the two nations despite earlier White House suggestions of an imminent deal.