A missile fired toward Kuwait, a drone swarm turned back over the Strait of Hormuz, and a second round of American strikes in three days have arrived in the middle of talks meant to end a long and bitter war. The story is one of two tracks running at once: the slow, contested work of diplomacy over a waterway that carries a fifth of the world's oil and gas, and the quick, blunt exchanges of force that test whether any ceasefire can hold. Both sides still speak of a deal as near, even as each accuses the other of bad faith and new economic pressure tightens the vise.
Iran Fires Missile at Kuwait After U.S. Downs Drones Near Strait of Hormuz, Threatening Fragile Ceasefire
Trump: "I don't care about the midterms."
Mark
Why does the Kuwait launch matter more than the drones?
Mimi
Because it hit, or tried to hit, a U.S. ally that hosts an American base. CENTCOM called it an egregious ceasefire violation, which is strong language for a ceasefire that officials are still trying to keep alive.
Luke
Keep in mind that's CENTCOM's account. The IRGC didn't confirm which base it targeted, so the target itself is unconfirmed.
Mark
And the drones? Five were downed, plus a sixth launch prevented.
Mimi
Yes, and the sixth was stopped at a ground control site in Bandar Abbas, according to officials. That detail suggests the U.S. acted against the launch point as well as the drones.
Luke
Again, that's U.S. officials describing it. Nothing in the reporting gives an independent account, and the Iranian side hasn't said anything on the drones here.
Mark
Trump says a deal is close. Is it?
Mimi
He says it was largely negotiated, but also that he's not satisfied. Several major issues remain unresolved.
Luke
Those two statements pull in different directions. We know the goals he named, reopening the strait and giving up enriched uranium. We don't know how close Iran is to agreeing to either.
Mark
What about the Iranian draft framework?
Mimi
Iranian state media reported it, and the White House called it a complete fabrication.
Luke
So we have one claim and one flat denial, and no way to verify the document from what's here.
Il Polso
- A ballistic missile fired toward Kuwait, where a U.S. base sits, was intercepted and branded an "egregious ceasefire violation" by Central Command.
- U.S. forces shot down five one-way attack drones near the Strait of Hormuz, the second American strike on Iranian targets in three days.
- Washington is pressing for a deal that reopens the strait and forces Iran to surrender its enriched uranium, while President Trump insists he is willing to "finish the job" instead.
- Iranian state media's claimed peace framework was dismissed by the White House as a "complete fabrication," fueling a war of narratives alongside the missiles.
- New sanctions against Iran's newly created strait authority and its tolls of up to $2 million per vessel have tightened economic pressure as talks remain unresolved.
A missile fired toward Kuwait, a drone swarm turned back over the Strait of Hormuz, and a second round of American strikes in three days have arrived in the middle of talks meant to end a long and bitter war. The story is one of two tracks running at once: the slow, contested work of diplomacy over a waterway that carries a fifth of the world's oil and gas, and the quick, blunt exchanges of force that test whether any ceasefire can hold. Both sides still speak of a deal as near, even as each accuses the other of bad faith and new economic pressure tightens the vise.
At 10:17 p.m. Eastern on May 27, Iran launched a ballistic missile toward Kuwait, a country that hosts a U.S. base. Kuwaiti forces intercepted it before it could land. U.S. Central Command called the launch an "egregious ceasefire violation," coming only hours after Iranian forces sent five one-way attack drones toward the Strait of Hormuz. American forces brought down all five, and also stopped a sixth drone from launching at Bandar Abbas. It was the second time in three days the United States had struck Iranian targets, though officials framed both rounds as self-defense. The strikes arrived in the middle of negotiations meant to end the war, and they pushed an already fragile ceasefire closer to collapse.
President Trump, speaking at a Cabinet meeting, said Iran was "negotiating on fumes" and waved away the idea that the November midterms would hurry him toward a quick deal. He still believes an agreement is near. Over the weekend he had written that the two sides had "largely negotiated" a settlement, though major issues remain open. What Washington wants is specific: a deal that reopens the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly a fifth of the world's traded oil and gas flows, and Iran's surrender of its highly enriched uranium stockpile.
Alongside the fighting ran a war of words. Iranian state media claimed Tehran had circulated a draft peace framework, and the White House rejected it as a "complete fabrication." The administration also tightened economic pressure, sanctioning Iran's newly formed Persian Gulf Strait Authority, which controls transit and charges tolls that could reach $2 million per ship. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called it an extortion scheme against global shipping. What comes next depends on whether the missile and drone exchanges continue while negotiators work, and whether the two sides can close the gaps over the strait and the uranium.
At 10:17 p.m. Eastern on May 27, according to U.S. Central Command, Iran launched a ballistic missile toward Kuwait. Kuwaiti forces intercepted it. Kuwait hosts a U.S. base, and Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps did not say which base it had meant to hit.
CENTCOM described the launch as an "egregious ceasefire violation" by the Iranian regime and noted that it came hours after Iranian forces fired five one-way attack drones that it said posed a clear threat in and near the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. forces intercepted all five. CENTCOM added that they also prevented a sixth drone launch from an Iranian ground control site in Bandar Abbas.
It was the second time in three days that the United States had struck Iranian targets. U.S. officials characterized both rounds as self-defense. Even so, the strikes landed in the middle of negotiations meant to end the war, and they complicated an already fragile ceasefire.
Those talks were still in flux Thursday morning, after President Donald Trump held a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday. He opened it by saying Iran was "negotiating on fumes." He also dismissed the idea that November's midterm elections would push him toward a quick deal. "They thought they were gonna outwait me," he said, mimicking the Iranian view. "I don't care about the midterms."
Trump still sounded confident an agreement is near. Over the weekend he wrote on Truth Social that the two sides had "largely negotiated" a settlement, although several major issues remain unresolved. On Wednesday he said Iran wants a deal very much but hasn't gotten there, and that the U.S. is not satisfied with where things stand. His alternative, he said, was to "just finish the job."
What he wants is specific. The president is seeking an agreement that reopens the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly a fifth of the world's traded oil and natural gas passes. He also wants Iran to surrender its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, which would effectively end its nuclear capabilities.
The information war ran alongside the military one. Iranian state media reported that Tehran had circulated a draft peace framework. The White House Rapid Response team rejected that on X, calling the report untrue and the so-called MOU "a complete fabrication," and urging people not to believe Iranian state media.
Washington also tightened economic pressure. The administration imposed new sanctions aimed at Iran's Persian Gulf Strait Authority, a newly created agency overseeing shipping through the strait, along with anyone cooperating with it. The authority was announced earlier this month. It approves transit and charges tolls that could reach $2 million per vessel. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called it the Iranian military's latest attempt to extort global maritime trade and said "Economic Fury" has left the regime desperate for cash.
What to watch next: whether the missile and drone exchanges continue while negotiators work, and whether the two sides can close the gaps over the strait and the uranium stockpile.
Citazioni salienti
They want very much to make a deal. So far, they haven't gotten there. We're not satisfied with it, but we will be — either that or we'll have to just finish the job.— President Donald Trump
This egregious ceasefire violation by the Iranian regime occurred hours after Iranian forces launched five one-way attack drones.— U.S. Central Command, on X
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War & Conflict