American forces carried out new strikes against Iranian targets near the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, shooting down four Iranian one-way attack drones and destroying a ground control station in Bandar Abbas that was preparing to launch a fifth drone. Hours later, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced it had targeted a U.S. air base it identified as the source of the American attacks, though the Pentagon had not publicly confirmed that strike. Kuwait's military separately announced its air defenses were intercepting hostile missiles and drones, raising the possibility that Iran targeted the U.S. air installation hosted on Kuwaiti soil.

President Donald Trump, speaking at a Cabinet meeting Wednesday, said Iran was "negotiating on fumes" and dismissed suggestions that he would accelerate diplomatic efforts due to economic pressure or the approach of November midterm elections. Trump also warned Oman not to partner with Iran in any arrangement to jointly control the Strait of Hormuz, saying the country would face military consequences if it did not comply. He separately suggested the U.S. might withhold progress on an Iran deal unless additional Gulf nations joined the Abraham Accords and normalized relations with Israel.

The latest exchange marks the second time in three days that U.S. forces have carried out what the Pentagon has described as defensive strikes against Iran. The Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has effectively closed since a U.S.-Israeli military campaign began in late February, remains shut to commercial shipping, contributing to rising global prices for oil, natural gas, fertilizer and other commodities. U.S. officials said Wednesday's strikes were limited in scope and did not constitute a resumption of large-scale combat operations.

Negotiations to end the nearly three-month-old conflict remain unsettled. Any emerging framework is expected to address the reopening of the Strait and some reduction of Iran's nuclear capabilities, though analysts and some Republican critics have warned that key issues are being deferred rather than resolved. Trump faces pressure from multiple directions: international economic fallout from the closed strait, domestic political opposition, and the challenge of presenting any eventual agreement as a credible victory.