U.S. shoots down two Iranian drones near Strait of Hormuz amid ceasefire tensions

U.S. forces shot down two Iranian one-way attack drones near the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday that threatened international maritime traffic, Central Command said, the latest exchange in a conflict that has put a fragile ceasefire under severe strain.

The downing came a day after U.S. forces intercepted four similar drones and Iran fired seven ballistic missiles at Kuwait and Bahrain, six of which were intercepted and one of which missed its target, CENTCOM said. Washington retaliated by striking Iranian coastal surveillance radar installations on Qeshm Island and in Goruk.

Iran accused the United States of violating the April 8 ceasefire, calling the radar strikes “a clear violation” of the agreement and “an act of military aggression,” its foreign ministry said.

Tehran framed its own attacks as acts of self-defence, the same justification that the U.S. President Donald Trump administration has used for its strikes.

“These treacherous Iranian terrorist acts represent a dangerous and irresponsible escalation, a blatant violation of all international laws and norms, and a direct threat to regional stability,” Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, said in a statement.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry also condemned the strikes, calling them a violation of sovereignty and international law, Kuwait’s state news agency KUNA reported.

Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi visited Tehran on Saturday carrying a letter for Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei from Pakistani Army Chief Field Marshal General Asim Munir, Iran’s ISNA news agency reported. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi confirmed meeting Naqvi, signalling Islamabad’s continued role as mediator.