Overview
- U.S. forces carried out strikes near Bandar Abbas and shot down four Iranian attack drones on Thursday, actions U.S. commanders called measured self‑defense to protect troops.
- Tehran condemned the strikes as a violation of the ceasefire, the IRGC announced retaliatory strikes on a U.S. base, and Iranian officials warned of further reprisals.
- Iranian state media published a draft 'Memorandum of Islamabad' portraying major U.S. concessions while the White House immediately denied that document as invented, leaving negotiations confused and fragile.
- Control of the Strait of Hormuz remains the central bargaining chip: the U.S. imposed sanctions on the Persian Gulf Strait Authority as Iran presses proposals to manage transit with Oman and charge fees.
- Separately, Israel has intensified strikes in southern Lebanon against Hezbollah, producing dozens of civilian deaths and raising the risk that the U.S.–Iran standoff will spill into a wider regional conflict.