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US 'defensive' strikes target drones, port city, Iran targets US base in retaliation
The US military shot down four Iranian drones and struck a control center in the southern port city of Bandar Abbas to prevent a fifth drone launch, US officials said on Wednesday.
The operation marked Washington's second day of "defensive" strikes against Iran this week amid fragile ceasefire talks in the nearly three-month conflict.
"These actions were measured, purely defensive, and intended to maintain the ceasefire," an official told Reuters news agency.
The officials said the drones posed a threat near the Strait of Hormuz.
Earlier, the Pentagon said overnight US strikes on Monday targeted Iranian missile launch sites and mine-laying boats that threatened US forces and shipping lanes.
US sanctions Iranian authority collecting transit fees in the Strait of Hormuz
The US Treasury on Wednesday imposed sanctions on Iran's Persian Gulf Strait Authority, a new agency collecting transit fees in the Strait of Hormuz.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the fees showed that Tehran is "desperate for cash" after US economic pressure.
US officials also warned that anyone paying the fees could face sanctions for potentially supporting Iran's Revolutionary Guards.
Iran fires warning shots at ships attempting to cross Strait of Hormuz
Iranian forces fired warning shots at four ships attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz without authorization, Iran's IRIB news agency reported on Thursday.
"They were warned, but after they ignored the warning, warning shots were fired at them, forcing them to return," IRIB said in a post on Telegram.
The shots were fired at about 12:35 a.m. local time (2105 GMT Wednesday). No further details on the ships were provided.
Iran says US base targeted in retaliation for American strikes
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said Thursday they targeted a US base in retaliation for American strikes near Bandar Abbas, according to state broadcaster IRIB.
"Following this morning's aggression by the invading US military against a location on the outskirts of Bandar Abbas Airport using aerial projectiles, the American air base that served as the source of the attack was targeted at 4:50 am (0120 GMT)," the Guards said, according to IRIB.
The Revolutionary Guards did not disclose its location of the base that was attacked but Kuwait, a US ally, said earlier it was responding to missile and drone attacks early on Thursday.
