U.S. Strikes Iran Radar Sites After Downing Four Drones
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- U.S. Central Command struck Iran's surveillance sites at Goruk and Qeshm Island on the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday after U.S. forces shot down four Iranian drones a U.S. official said were targeting regional maritime traffic.
- Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps said it retaliated by firing missiles at U.S. bases in the region and attacking four tankers attempting to cross the strait without Tehran's permission.
- Iran claimed it hit U.S. bases in both countries with ballistic missiles, but the U.S. military said six missiles were intercepted and a seventh missed its target; Kuwait intercepted separate attacks and Bahrain sounded shelter sirens.
- Trump is under mounting domestic pressure from rising gas prices to end the three-month-old war, telling NBC that Iran still retains roughly 21–22% of its missiles despite U.S. strikes on its manufacturing facilities.
- Iran's preconditions for any deal include access to billions in oil revenue, sanctions waivers on crude exports, lifting the U.S. port blockade, and leverage over the strait, through which roughly a fifth of the world's oil previously transited.
- Mohsen Rezaei, an adviser to Iran's supreme leader, told CNN that peace hinges on unfreezing $24 billion in Iranian assets and warned the U.S. would 'enter into a dark corridor' if it resumed attacks.
Why it matters: With Iran now firing on commercial tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz and the waterway effectively blockaded, roughly a fifth of global oil supply remains at risk — driving gas prices higher and intensifying domestic pressure on Trump to end the three-month war. Iran's $24 billion asset-freeze demand, combined with Trump's own admission that 21–22% of Iran's missiles remain intact, signals neither side is close to a deal despite ongoing indirect negotiations.
