WASHINGTON — The U.S. military shot down four Iranian drones near the Strait of Hormuz on Friday and later struck Iranian coastal surveillance radar sites in a retaliatory operation, U.S. Central Command said, as tensions escalated between the two countries amid an already fragile ceasefire.
U.S. Central Command said the drones posed an immediate threat to maritime traffic in the region. The military said it responded by targeting radar systems, including one located on an island in the strait, to prevent further attacks.
“The attack drones posed an immediate threat to regional maritime traffic,” U.S. Central Command said in a social media post.
The United States also said it has been enforcing measures affecting Iranian port access in response to ongoing disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global oil and natural gas shipments.
The latest exchange followed earlier incidents this week, including a drone strike that damaged a passenger terminal at Kuwait’s main airport and killed one person, according to officials.
The military action comes as U.S. and Iranian officials continue negotiations to extend a ceasefire agreement and resume talks on Iran’s nuclear program.
U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday that the situation with Iran was “going quite well” despite the renewed hostilities.
Speaking at an event in Wisconsin, Trump said the United States would reach an outcome with Iran through either an agreement or a more forceful approach.
“We’re going to come out of Iran very quickly and it’s going to be very strong one way or the other,” Trump said.
He said Iran still possesses a portion of its missile stockpile and described ongoing negotiations as difficult.
U.S. and Iranian negotiators have discussed a tentative 60-day extension of the ceasefire and a new round of talks on Iran’s nuclear program, but no final agreement has been announced.
Separately, U.S. forces boarded a sanctioned oil tanker linked to Iran in the Indian Ocean and imposed new sanctions on individuals, companies, and shipping vessels connected to Iranian energy exports, according to officials.
Fighting has also continued in the broader region, including Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon that killed multiple people and wounded soldiers, according to Lebanese state media and military statements.
The U.S. military said it continues to monitor developments in the Strait of Hormuz and surrounding areas as diplomatic and military tensions persist.