Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) says it has targeted an American air base in the region, after fresh US strikes on southern Iran.

The IRGC did not say where the base was, but Kuwait, which hosts a US base, said it had intercepted “hostile missile and drone threats”, without specifying where they were coming from.

Earlier the US military said it had shot down Iranian drones over the Strait of Hormuz and struck a military site in Bandar Abbas, a strategic port city.

The renewed hostilities threaten a fragile ceasefire between the US and Iran.

It is the second time in three days that the US has attacked targets in Iran – saying that the strikes were conducted in self defence.

The site in Bandar Abbas was struck as it was about to launch a fifth drone, US Central Command (Centcom) said. Iranian media reported that explosions were heard to the east of the city.

Centcom described its actions as “measured, purely defensive, and intended to maintain the ceasefire”.

It also said its forces shot down four Iranian one-way attack drones “that posed a threat around the Strait of Hormuz”.

The IRGC said it had targeted an American air base “that served as the source of the attack” on Bandar Abbas, according to state broadcaster IRIB.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baqai condemned the US strikes and said they constituted a violation of the ceasefire.

He added that the Islamic republic would “take all necessary measures to defend its national sovereignty”, according to quotes cited by IRIB.

Earlier this week, the US confirmed a previous round of “self-defence” strikes on southern Iran on Monday in which they targeted Iranian missile sites and boats attempting to lay mines in the Strait, where thousands of commercial tanker ships are stranded as a result of the conflict.

Centcom said those strikes were designed “to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces”.

The US also imposed sanctions on the “Persian Gulf Strait Authority” – the Iranian body tasked with collecting payments from ships travelling through the Strait of Hormuz.

Any ships that pay the authority could also be “exposed to the risk of sanctions”, the US Treasury Department said in a statement.

One-fifth of the world’s liquefied natural gas and oil normally pass through the shipping channel, and its closure has impacted global fuel trade.

Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said on Monday that Tehran was collecting fees for “navigational services” and it would continue to manage traffic through the waterway.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent described it as the “Iranian military’s latest attempt to extort global maritime trade” and “proof” Iran is “desperate for cash”.

The IRGC also said on Tuesday that it had downed a US drone and fired at a fighter jet and another drone that entered Iranian airspace, but did not specify when.

[BBC]

Vaibhav Sooriyavanshi is enjoying one of the most extraordinary seasons not just of the IPL, not just of T20, and not just of cricket but of all sport and all time. He produced his most extraordinary effort of this extraordinary season in the Eliminator, narrowly missing out on one of the IPL’s most coveted records but putting Rajasthan Royals (RR) on course for what turned out to be a thumping win over Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).

Sooryavanshi, 15, swept past numerous records over the course of his innings – among them the most sixes by any batter in a T20 tournament – and he came within one shot of breaking Chris Gayle’s record for the fastest IPL century (30 balls) only to top-edge an attempted uppercut to deep third to fall for 97 off 29 balls.

RR’s innings fell away after that innings and a 21-ball 50 from Dhruv Jurel, and they ended up seven short of the 250 that had at one stage seemed a formality. But it still proved more than sufficient thanks to yet another impactful new-ball burst from Jofra Archer. His spell against Mumbai Indians (MI) on Sunday had been key to RR making the playoffs, and he followed up with three wickets in three powerplay overs to hold back a SRH top order that began the chase with an ominous flurry of boundaries.

A new draft peace proposal says Iran would fully restore commercial shipping through the Strait ⁠of Hormuz to ⁠pre-war levels within 30 days while the ⁠US ⁠would withdraw ⁠military forces from Iran’s vicinity and lift its ‌naval blockade.

The Revolutionary Guard says a renewed war with the United States is unlikely because of the “enemy’s weakness” but vows to make Iran’s southern territory a “graveyard for aggressors”.

[Aljazeera]