US strikes Iran’s military targets near Hormuz

The US struck Iranian military targets for the second time this week and Kuwait said it responded to missile and drone threats, highlighting the fragility of the ceasefire and the challenge of forging a peace accord that would restore energy flows.

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US forces prepare for a strike on Iranian targets.

US forces shot down four Iranian drones fired at a commercial ship and hit a launch unit near the Strait of Hormuz, according to a US official, who said the attacks were defensive and the ceasefire remains intact. Iran targeted the US base from which the strikes came, state-run Press TV reported in a X post. Kuwait said “any explosions that may be heard are the result of air defence systems intercepting hostile targets.”

Hours earlier, President Donald Trump asserted that no one nation would control Hormuz, which has emerged as one of the key obstacles in resolving the war. The effective closure of the waterway since the war began has curbed about a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas supplies, leading to a surge in prices and rising inflation that threatens global economic growth.