Several Feared Dead in Kenya School Fire

The United States launched strikes in southern Iran on Thursday, prompting swift retaliation from Tehran against a US military base. This escalation marks the most serious clashes since an April ceasefire and jeopardizes a fragile diplomatic push for a peace agreement and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint for global energy supplies.

According to Iranian state broadcaster IRIB, Iranian forces initially fired on four ships attempting to cross the Strait. A US official, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, confirmed that US forces struck a ground control station in the southern port area of Bandar Abbas. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps stated that the American air base serving as the source of the attack was targeted in response. Kuwait's military reported its air defenses were responding to an "enemy" attack.

“

Following this morning's aggression by the invading US military against a location on the outskirts of Bandar Abbas Airport using aerial projectiles, the American air base that served as the source of the attack was targeted at 4:50 am (0120 GMT).

The renewed fighting casts doubt on talks aimed at formally ending the war, which began on February 28. A key element of the proposed deal involves restoring full traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has effectively controlled, disrupting global energy markets. Oil prices rose on Thursday following reports of the strikes. Fresh strikes were also reported in Lebanon, with Israel stating it hit the southern city of Tyre after warning Hezbollah. The US Treasury also announced sanctions against Iran's Gulf Strait Authority, a new agency managing passage fees through the Strait of Hormuz.

Negotiations between Iran and the United States, mediated by Pakistan, have been fraught with threats for weeks, with neither side appearing ready to compromise on key issues like Hormuz and Iran's nuclear program. The Guards' navy recently asserted that only ships adhering to Iranian orders could pass through the Strait. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed optimism about a deal but insisted Hormuz would be reopened. Iran has also demanded that any peace accord include Lebanon, where fighting between Israel and Hezbollah continues despite a ceasefire.

“

a deal remained within reach, but that the Hormuz would be reopened "one way or the other".