The United States said it downed multiple Iranian drones targeting commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz early on Saturday, hours after both sides said a deal to end the Middle East war was closer than ever.
The interception came after weeks of halting talks between Tehran and Washington, mediated by Pakistan, that have been marked by threats and exchanges of fire despite a fragile truce agreed in April.
US Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees operations in the region, posted on social media that Iran had “launched multiple one-way attack drones in an attempt to strike commercial ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz”.
“US forces have downed all of them in recent hours as traffic flow through the strait continues unimpeded,” it said.
CENTCOM added that the Strait of Hormuz – a key maritime trade route for oil and gas from the Persian Gulf – “remains open for transit”, despite an Iranian-enforced blockade since the start of the war.
Disagreements between the two sides have persisted, with Iranian state media publishing a breakdown of what was purportedly on the table that was at odds with Washington’s account.
