DUBAI/WASHINGTON: US forces struck Iranian coastal radar sites on Saturday after shooting down drones launched by Iran toward the Strait of Hormuz, the US military said, in the latest escalation complicating efforts to end the war between the two countries.The US military believed the four Iranian drones were targeting regional maritime traffic, a US official told Reuters. US Central Command said on X the US then struck Iran’s surveillance sites in Goruk and Qeshm Island, both on the Strait of Hormuz.Iran’s foreign ministry said the US action broke an April 8 ceasefire, adding that such repeated violations showed Washington had no intention of reducing tensions. It warned that the US would bear responsibility for the consequences of its “illegal actions”.Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they had attacked US bases in Kuwait and Bahrain in retaliation for US strikes and fired at four tankers trying to cross the strait without its permission. Kuwait’s army said on Saturday it engaged seven ballistic missiles that passed over residential areas, resulting in material damage but no casualties. In Bahrain, sirens sounded and residents were urged to seek shelter.

Pakistan interior minister arrives for talks in Tehran

Iranian state media said Mohsin Naqvi, the interior minister of Pakistan, which has been mediating an end to the conflict, arrived in Tehran on Saturday for talks with Iranian officials, including foreign minister Abbas Araqchi.A Pakistani source said Naqvi would carry a message from Pakistan to the Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei.

Iran still has 21% to 22% of their missiles, says Trump

Despite concerns that the ceasefire could collapse, Trump told reporters Friday that “the situation with Iran seems to be going quite well.” He told an event that “we’re going to come out of Iran very quickly and it’s going to be very strong one way or the other, whether it’s a piece of paper or the very tough way.” Trump increasingly appears to be boxed in on the war. US and Iranian negotiators reached a tentative agreement a week ago to extend the ceasefire by 60 days and start a new round of talks on Iran’s nuclear programme. But the US President has called for unspecified changes that Iran is yet to ratify. Asked on Friday why it was taking so long, Trump told NBC’s “Meet the Press” it was because “it’s a very hard thing for them.” He added the Iranians still have 21% to 22% of their missiles. One of the war’s stated aims was destroying Tehran’s missile programme.