Middle East standoff: US intercepts Iranian missiles, drones close to Strait of Hormuz

"Iran fired seven ballistic missiles toward Kuwait and Bahrain hours after U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) shot down four Iranian one-way attack drones that were launched toward the Strait of Hormuz," the US Central Command said in a statement.

According to CENTCOM, the drones posed an immediate threat to maritime traffic in the region.

"U.S. forces subsequently struck Iranian coastal surveillance radar sites in Goruk and on Qeshm Island to defend against further maritime attacks," the statement added.

CENTCOM said initial assessments indicated that six of the seven missiles launched by Iran were intercepted, while the seventh failed to reach its intended target.

No US personnel were injured in the incident.

The command also dismissed Iranian claims that the attack had damaged the headquarters of the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain.

"Iranian claims of damaging U.S. 5th Fleet headquarters in Bahrain are false," the statement said.

Meanwhile, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it had targeted US military bases in the region with missiles in response to what it described as American attacks on Sirik and Qeshm Island.

In a statement carried by state media, the IRGC said the missile launches were retaliation for recent US military operations against the two locations, according to Iran International.

The latest exchange marks another escalation in tensions between Washington and Tehran, adding pressure to an already fragile ceasefire and complicating ongoing efforts to extend the truce.