U.S. conducts more “self-defense strikes” after shooting down Iranian missiles

American military forces carried out strikes on an Iranian island abutting the Strait of Hormuz in response to attempted Iranian drone and missile attacks, the latest clash between the two countries as President Trump pushes to strike a longer-term agreement with Iran. 

U.S. Central Command said in a statement Tuesday it shot down three Iranian drones that targeted civilian mariners. Iran also launched ballistic missiles at U.S. allies in the Persian Gulf region that “all failed to hit their intended targets,” according to CENTCOM, including three missiles that were fired at Bahrain but were shot down by air defenses, and two missiles that “fell short or broke apart enroute” before hitting Kuwait.

In response, CENTCOM said it carried out “self-defense strikes” at a ground control station on Iran’s Qeshm Island.

In a statement, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said its strikes were in reaction to an earlier move by CENTCOM Tuesday to disable an oil tanker sailing toward Iran by firing a missile at its engine room. The IRGC said it targeted the headquarters of the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet in Bahrain and a “vessel belonging to the American Zionist enemy.” 

Iran and the U.S. entered into a ceasefire on April 7, halting most direct hostilities in the three-month-long war, but periodical clashes have continued even as U.S. forces say the ceasefire remains in place.

“CENTCOM forces remain vigilant and ready to defend against unwarranted Iranian aggression during the ongoing ceasefire,” the military command said in its statement.

This is a developing story and will be updated.