US and Iran trade fire near Strait of Hormuz while maintaining ceasefire claims

Renewed confrontation around a strategic waterway

US forces attacked an Iranian military facility near Bandar Abbas on May 27, 2026, in the second reported confrontation between the two countries that week around the Strait of Hormuz. Despite the exchange, both governments continued to present themselves as committed to a ceasefire and negotiations intended to end the wider conflict.

US officials said Iran had launched five one-way attack drones earlier that day and that American forces destroyed all five after determining they threatened the area around the strait. The officials said a subsequent US airstrike stopped a sixth drone from being launched from an Iranian station in southern Iran. One US official characterized the response as limited and defensive, and said its purpose was to preserve the ceasefire.

The US assessment initially listed four intercepted drones before officials raised the number to five on May 28. They did not identify the aircraft or other platforms used in the operation. American fighter aircraft regularly operate near the Strait of Hormuz with weapons designed for both aerial and ground targets.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps subsequently said it had attacked an unidentified US air base in the region in response to the American strike. The IRGC described its action as a warning that further attacks would draw a stronger answer.

Kuwait reported intercepting drones and missiles during the early hours of May 28 local time. US Central Command later said Iran had fired a ballistic missile toward Kuwait and that Kuwaiti forces intercepted it. The United States operates Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait, but the intended target of the Iranian launch was not established. CENTCOM called the missile launch a serious violation of the ceasefire.

The incident followed another clash near Bandar Abbas on May 25. US forces struck and sank two IRGC vessels that American officials said were laying mines. After Iranian forces fired surface-to-air missiles at US aircraft, the United States attacked Iranian missile launchers. Iran claimed the following day that it had brought down an American MQ-9 Reaper drone, an account US officials had not substantiated.

A ceasefire announced in early April had not prevented sporadic exchanges. The United States also struck Iranian drone launchers, radar systems and missile facilities on May 7 after saying three Navy destroyers had been targeted. A US blockade of Iranian ports, in force since April 13, had turned around more than 100 ships.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said at a May 27 Cabinet meeting that diplomacy remained Washington’s preferred course. At the same meeting, President Donald Trump threatened renewed military action if an agreement with Iran could not be reached.