The United States has carried out what it described as “self-defense” airstrikes on Iranian radar and command-and-control facilities, amid escalating tensions and ongoing negotiations over a fragile ceasefire and a proposed agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

US Central Command said the weekend strikes were in response to Iranian actions, including the downing of a US MQ-1 drone operating over international waters. It said US fighter jets destroyed Iranian air defenses, a ground control station, and two attack drones considered threats to maritime traffic in the region.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed it responded by striking a US-linked air base allegedly used in earlier attacks, though it did not specify the location. Iranian state media also reported drone and missile activity in the Gulf region, including near Kuwait, which said it intercepted incoming attacks.

The latest exchange comes despite an existing but fragile ceasefire reached earlier in April, which has repeatedly come under strain from cross-border strikes. The continued escalation has complicated US-Iran talks aimed at a broader deal covering hostilities, sanctions relief, and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global energy route.

Tensions over Iran’s nuclear program and potential economic concessions remain key sticking points. Iranian officials have insisted that any agreement must respect their national “rights,” while rejecting claims that nuclear stockpiles would be dismantled under US terms.

Meanwhile, US naval operations enforcing a blockade on Iranian ports have continued. US Central Command said it disabled a Gambian-flagged vessel heading toward Iran after repeated warnings, marking the fifth commercial ship interdicted since the blockade began, with more than 100 vessels redirected.

Negotiations remain ongoing, but both sides continue to exchange military and diplomatic signals as efforts to finalise a durable agreement face persistent deadlock.