The confrontation around the Strait of Hormuz has entered a more dangerous phase after Fox News said the U.S. military carried out strikes on Qeshm Port and Bandar Abbas Port in Iran, coinciding with Iranian reports of explosions and an exchange of fire near Bahman Pier on Qeshm Island.
Fars News Agency said Iranian forces exchanged fire with hostile forces that attacked Bahman Pier in Qeshm. Iranian media also reported explosions in Qeshm and Bandar Abbas, two of Iran’s key shipping hubs near the Strait of Hormuz.
In a parallel development, Tasnim News Agency quoted an informed source as saying that Iranian missiles were fired toward a U.S. warship in the Strait of Hormuz. So far, there has been no official U.S. confirmation or independent verification of this claim.
These developments come as The New York Times reports unresolved negotiations between Washington and Tehran over a one-page proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and halt the fighting for 30 days.
Details
• Fox News said the U.S. military carried out strikes on Qeshm Port and Bandar Abbas Port in Iran.
• Fars News Agency said Iranian forces exchanged fire with hostile forces that attacked Bahman Pier on Qeshm Island.
• Iranian media reported explosions in Qeshm and Bandar Abbas, without a fully clear field account from official Iranian sources.
• Tasnim quoted an informed source as saying that Iranian missiles were fired toward a U.S. warship in the Strait of Hormuz.
• So far, there has been no official U.S. confirmation or independent verification of the Iranian account about targeting a U.S. warship.
• The New York Times, citing three senior Iranian officials, said Iran and the United States are discussing a one-page plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and halt hostilities for 30 days.
• The plan’s three practical points include lifting the U.S. blockade on Iranian ships and ports, opening the strait to commercial traffic, and stopping the fighting.
• The plan does not amount to a full peace agreement, but rather a temporary truce aimed at managing escalation and opening a wider negotiating window.
• The main obstacle remains the nuclear file, as Washington is asking Iran to agree in principle to hand over its entire stockpile of highly enriched uranium, close three nuclear facilities, and suspend enrichment for 20 years.
• Iran proposes, according to the Iranian officials quoted by The New York Times, diluting part of the uranium, transferring the rest to a third country that could be Russia, and suspending enrichment for 10 to 15 years, without mentioning the closure of the three facilities.
• Major issues, such as the future of Iran’s nuclear program, sanctions relief, and Iranian funds frozen overseas, would be deferred to later negotiations during the 30-day period if a truce is reached.
• U.S. Central Command said a U.S. Navy aircraft disabled an Iranian-flagged oil tanker as it tried to cross the American blockade on Iranian ports, after an F/A-18 Super Hornet fired on the ship’s rudder.
• In parallel, the Trump administration imposed sanctions on Iraq’s Deputy Oil Minister Ali Maarij Al-Bahadly, accusing him of diverting oil sales for the benefit of the Iranian government and its proxies in Iraq.
• The U.S. sanctions also targeted leaders of three Iran-linked militias in Iraq, as part of a broader campaign aimed at weakening Iran’s economy, according to The New York Times.
What next?
The strikes on Qeshm and Bandar Abbas, according to the Fox News account, put the proposed de-escalation track under direct pressure. Talks over a 30-day truce are now unfolding amid strikes on Iranian ports, Iranian reports of missiles fired toward a U.S. warship, and an ongoing naval blockade around Hormuz.
The risk is that the strait could shift from a negotiating pressure card into a direct battlefield. Any confirmed Iranian response against a U.S. target could push Washington toward expanding operations instead of locking in the truce.
