The U.S. military carried out strikes Thursday on Iran’s Qeshm port and the coastal city of Bandar Abbas following Iranian attacks on naval forces operating in the Strait of Hormuz.
The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said the strikes were conducted in “self-defense” after Iranian forces launched multiple missiles, drones and small boats as the USS Truxtun, USS Rafael Peralta and USS Mason transited the Strait of Hormuz.
CENTCOM said U.S. forces eliminated inbound threats and targeted Iranian military facilities, including missile and drone launch sites, command and control locations, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance nodes. The U.S. military said no U.S. assets were hit.
CENTCOM said it does not seek escalation but “remains positioned and ready to protect American forces.”
Iran confirmed that it launched missiles at U.S. forces in the Strait of Hormuz after a claimed U.S. attack on an Iranian oil tanker.
“Following the attack by the U.S. military on an Iranian tanker, the enemy units in the Strait of Hormuz came under Iranian missile fire,” Iranian state-run broadcaster IRIB reported. While U.S. forces said no American assets were damaged, Iran said the U.S. warships sustained damage and were forced to withdraw from the area.
🚨 BREAKING
Iranian Navy: We attacked three US warships and destroyers with anti-ship ballistic and cruise missiles and drones.— IRIB (Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting) (@iribnews_irib) May 7, 2026
🚨 BREAKING
Following the attack of the U.S. army on an Iranian oil tanker, the enemy’s units in the Strait of Hormuz came under Iranian missile fire, and after sustaining damage, were forced to flee.— IRIB (Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting) (@iribnews_irib) May 7, 2026
Iran said an explosion at the Bahman Quarantine Dock in Qeshm occurred during the exchange.
Two hours after the exchange, Iranian authorities said the situation on the islands and coastal cities along the Strait of Hormuz had returned to normal.
🚨 Update: After the exchange of fire in the past few hours, the situation on the islands and coastal cities of the Strait of Hormuz is normal now.
— IRIB (Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting) (@iribnews_irib) May 7, 2026
The incident is the most serious test yet of the U.S.-Iran ceasefire declared on April 7. Responding to the developments, President Donald Trump told ABC News that the ceasefire with Iran remained in place despite the strikes.
“It’s just a love tap,” Trump said. “The ceasefire is going. It’s in effect.”
In a social media post on Thursday evening about the recent incident, Trump warned of further escalation if Iran does not agree to a deal.
“Just like we knocked them out again today, we’ll knock them out a lot harder, and a lot more violently in the future, if they don’t get their deal signed, fast!,” he said.
The renewed hostilities came a few hours after officials in Pakistan claimed both countries were close to a temporary agreement to halt the war in the Middle East. Officials in Islamabad said a very basic “interim” deal could be reached this weekend.
