ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The US military said on Saturday that its forces intercepted multiple Iranian drones launched toward commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, as efforts continue by Washington and Tehran to finalize a deal aimed at ending months of tensions and military confrontation.
"Iran launched multiple one-way attack drones in an attempt to strike commercial ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. forces have downed all of them in recent hours as traffic flow through the strait continues unimpeded," the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement.
"The international trade corridor remains open for transit," it added.
An hour earlier, CENTCOM highlighted ongoing US military operations in the region, saying that US fighter jets patrol "the skies above the Middle East as American forces maintain regional presence and vigilance."
Iran's drone attacks comes as the US continues enforcing a blockade on maritime traffic linked to Iran.
"U.S. forces continue to strictly enforce the blockade against Iran. CENTCOM has redirected 139 compliant commercial ships and disabled 9 non-compliant vessels since April 13," CENTCOM said late Friday.
The blockade, which took effect on April 13, targets vessels entering or leaving Iranian ports and is part of Washington's broader pressure campaign against Tehran.
The maritime campaign comes amid efforts by Washington and Tehran to finalize a deal aimed at ending months of tensions and military confrontation that began following the US and Israeli military campaign against Iran in late February.
US officials on Friday expressed optimism that an agreement could be reached in the coming days, with discussions reportedly focusing on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, dismantling Iran's nuclear program, and establishing a framework for long-term regional stability.
However, conflicting statements from both sides have cast uncertainty over the negotiations. US President Donald Trump on Friday rejected terms of a purported agreement published by Iranian media, insisting that they "have NOTHING to do with the terms that were agreed to, in writing."
Iranian officials have meanwhile denied making several concessions attributed to Tehran in media reports.
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