New US airstrikes hit southern Iran, official says

A U.S. official confirmed to Anadolu that the United States carried out another round of airstrikes in southern Iran, shooting down four Iranian one-way attack drones that threatened the area near the Strait of Hormuz.

"U.S. forces also struck an Iranian ground control station in Bandar Abbas that was about to launch a fifth drone," the official, on condition of anonymity, said Wednesday, News.Az reports, citing Anadolu agency.

"These actions were measured, purely defensive, and intended to maintain the ceasefire," the official added.

The latest strikes came after US Central Command (CENTCOM) earlier this week confirmed a previous round of strikes on southern Iran targeting missile launch sites and Iranian boats allegedly attempting to lay mines. Iran condemned those strikes as a "grave violation of the ceasefire."

Earlier, commenting on the state of the negotiations to end the war on Iran, US President Donald Trump said he is "not satisfied with it, but we will be. Either that, or we'll have to just finish the job."

Regional tensions boiled over on Feb. 28 when the US and Israel launched surprise attacks on Iran, prompting Tehran to retaliate with barrages of drones and missiles that hit targets across the region and to shutter the Strait of Hormuz.

A ceasefire took effect on April 8 through Pakistani mediation, but talks in Islamabad failed to produce a lasting agreement.

Trump later extended the truce indefinitely while maintaining a blockade on vessels traveling to or from Iranian ports through the strategic waterway and periodically saying a peace deal was close.

News.Az 

By Ulviyya Salmanli