PERSIAN GULF — The United States and Iran engaged in a direct military exchange in the Persian Gulf region on Friday. Iran's navy stated on Friday that it fired warning missiles and drones at U.S. warships in the Gulf of Oman, while U.S. forces struck Iranian radar and drone sites in Goruk and Qeshm Island.
Iranian missiles and drones struck Kuwait's international airport on Wednesday morning. U.S. Central Command reported that two Iranian missiles aimed at Kuwait fell short or broke apart, and projectiles aimed at Bahrain were intercepted. No U.S. personnel or assets were harmed in Kuwait or Bahrain, according to the command. One Indian national was killed and several others were injured in the Kuwait airport attack, India's foreign ministry reported.
U.S. forces also attacked a telecommunications tower on Qeshm Island and downed Iranian drones that were targeting civilian ships. Tehran stated that U.S. forces damaged an Iranian oil tanker near the Strait of Hormuz. The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps navy also hit a vessel named Panaya with missiles.
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned on Friday that regional U.S. bases used to launch aggression against Iran are legitimate targets. Iran accused the U.S. Navy of harassing maritime traffic and seizing commercial vessels during a U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports.
Past diplomatic efforts include a Pakistan-mediated ceasefire between the United States and Iran announced on April 8. The two nations have exchanged peace proposals and counter-proposals since April. U.S. President Donald Trump said, "They want to make a deal. We’ve had very good talks over the last 24 hours, and it’s very possible that we’ll make a deal."
U.S. Vice President JD Vance stated, "We are not going to have a deal that allows the Iranians to have a nuclear weapon, so as the president just told me, we are locked and loaded." Trump said, "For Iran, the Clock is Ticking, and they better get moving, FAST, or there won’t be anything left of them. TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!"
Related incidents on May 17 include a drone strike causing a fire at an electrical generator outside the Barakah nuclear plant's inner perimeter, though Abu Dhabi authorities reported no injuries and normal radiation levels. United Arab Emirates authorities also accused Iran of launching missiles and drones at the port of Fujairah, where three Indian nationals were injured and an oil refinery caught fire at the Fujairah Petroleum Industries Zone. Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf told Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri that Tehran could abandon negotiations and move toward confrontation if Israeli attacks on Lebanon continue. Neither Washington nor Tehran confirmed a May 28 memorandum of understanding regarding a ceasefire extension.