Iran and the United States mutually accused each other on Thursday of violating the ceasefire, after an exchange of strikes which further jeopardizes negotiations to permanently end the war, which has entered its fourth month.
On the other front of the conflict, in Lebanon, despite a ceasefire theoretically in force, Israel extended its combat zone
even though the end of hostilities against pro-Iranian Hezbollah is a clear requirement from Tehran to reach an agreement.
The war in the Middle East, triggered on February 28 by an Israeli-American offensive, has left thousands dead, mainly in Iran and Lebanon. And it is shaking the world economy, with the Islamic Republic blocking the Strait of Hormuz, strategic for global hydrocarbon trade.
The latest clashes are the most serious since the start of the truce on April 8.
During the night from Wednesday to Thursday, the United States shot down four Iranian attack drones which represented a threat around the Strait of Hormuz
and hit a ground control station in Bandar Abbas which threatened to launch a fifth drone
according to an American official.
In retaliation, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards announced that they had targeted an American base, without specifying which one. For their part, Kuwait and the American army reported strikes, attributed to Iran, on the territory of this Gulf monarchy.
What they condemned: the American army denouncing a blatant violation of the ceasefire
and the Kuwaiti Ministry of Foreign Affairs a dangerous escalation
.
An American soldier on a warship in the Arabian Sea. (Archive photo)
Photo : Getty Images / Handout
On your knees
Iran has blamed Washington, criticizing continued ceasefire violations
after the strikes carried out in recent days by Washington on the south of the country.
Iranian Supreme Guide Mojtaba Khamenei, injured at the start of this war and who has not appeared in public since, said for his part that Israel and the United States were looking for to bring the nation to its knees
in a written statement broadcast by state television.
And the Guardians, the ideological army of the regime, promised a firm response
in the event of a new American attack.
Iranian forces also fired warning shots at four ships trying to cross the Strait of Hormuz, according to state television (IRIB), which did not provide details on the type of boats or their nationality.
In this climate, residents of Tehran express their concern. We ask ourselves every day: “Will there be missile strikes tonight?”
explainAFP Amir, 27-year-old software developer.
Mahtab, 62, a hairdresser in the Iranian capital, is happy that her daughter was able to leave the country because it’s hell here
and laments seeing his son live day to day
sans perspective.
Between war and peace
For the head of European diplomacy, Kaja Kallas, Iran and the United States are in this very dangerous zone between war and peace
.
It is in no one’s interest for this war to continue.
Faced with renewed tensions, European stock markets fell on Thursday and oil prices started to rise again, with Brent from the North Sea, the benchmark for crude, once again approaching the threshold of $100.
Because this situation pushes back the prospect of a rapid reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the crude oil and liquefied natural gas consumed in the world normally transits.
On Wednesday, American President Donald Trump once again threatened a resumption of hostilities: Iran really wants to make a deal. They’re not there yet. We’re not satisfied, but we will be eventually […]. Or we’ll just have to finish the job
.
An Israeli army artillery unit enters Lebanon after crossing the Israeli-Lebanese border, seen from northern Israel, May 27, 2026.
Photo : Reuters / Rami Shlush
At least 14 dead in Lebanon
The positions of the two camps remain distant.
In addition to the end of fighting on all fronts and the lifting of the American blockade of Iranian ports, Tehran is seeking the release of 24 billion in assets frozen abroad.
This is one of the main points of contention, alongside the nuclear aspect which Iran wishes to address in a second step. The United States is demanding the destruction of Iran’s stock of highly enriched uranium, the fate of which is uncertain. Tehran, for its part, denies that it wants to acquire an atomic bomb.
In Lebanon, at least 14 people died in the south of the country, where Israel extended its combat zone
against Hezbollah.
And a strike ciblée
Israeli forces also targeted Beirut, according to the Israeli army, with a Lebanese military source reporting a strike on an apartment south of the capital.
