US downs two Iranian drones over Strait of Hormuz

The United States military has said it shot down two Iranian attack drones that were posing a threat to international maritime traffic in the conflict-hit Strait of Hormuz. The announcement was made by the US Central Command, which is responsible for overseeing American military operations in the Middle East, late on Saturday (local time).

"Earlier today, US forces in the Middle East shot down two Iranian one-way attack drones that threatened international maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz," US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a post on X.

It added, "American forces remain postured and ready to continue defending against Iranian aggression." The tweet followed a previous announcement a little more than 24 hours ago wherein the CENTCOM said it had shot down four Iranian attack drones launched toward the strait before striking Iranian coastal surveillance radar sites.

The latest clashes between the warring sides, including a salvo of Iranian missiles fired Saturday at US allies Bahrain and Kuwait, come despite Washington and Tehran being engaged in weeks of indirect talks on how to end the war.

The peace efforts are focused on reaching an interim deal to halt the three-month-old war that would leave issues including Iran's nuclear programme to further dialogue.

A deal, however, has remained elusive while the two sides have periodically skirmished. Tehran wants access to billions of dollars in oil revenue, waivers on sanctions on crude exports, the lifting of a US blockade on its ports and leverage over the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran has effectively blocked the waterway, where about a fifth of global oil traffic transited before the war.

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(With inputs from agencies)