The US military said it struck coastal radar sites in the Goruk area and on Iran’s Qeshm Island in response to Tehran launching four drones targeting shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz. The attack coincided with an Axios report that Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held an undisclosed meeting with nuclear experts in Tennessee, which a US official called a sign that negotiations have entered a “very serious phase.”
The fragile ceasefire between Washington and Tehran, in place since April, has been repeatedly tested by reciprocal strikes from both sides. The latest attack marked the most recent episode, which Iran’s Foreign Ministry described as a “clear violation of the ceasefire,” saying that Washington “lacks the will to reduce tensions,” and describing the strikes as part of a “broader pattern of hostile and provocative behavior by the United States toward Iran.”
In response to the US attack, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said it had targeted American bases in Kuwait and Bahrain, adding that it had fired on four tankers attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz without its permission.
For its part, the Kuwaiti military said it intercepted seven ballistic missiles that entered the country’s airspace and passed over residential areas. It added that the attack caused material damage, including falling debris, but no casualties.
Amid the exchange of strikes, Axios reported that Witkoff and Kushner traveled to the national lab in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, on Thursday for consultations with a team of technical experts that could play a role in future nuclear negotiations with Iran.
Axios said the White House is seeking a memorandum of understanding with Iran to end the war and begin in-depth nuclear negotiations, and wants experts prepared should those talks move forward. Citing unnamed US officials, it reported that the Oak Ridge meeting indicates negotiations are in “their final stretch.”
The outlet noted that the Trump administration recently assembled a team of around 100 experts to participate in the nuclear negotiations should a preliminary agreement be reached. It said the envoys’ meeting with members of that team was aimed at discussing preparations for the potential implementation of a nuclear deal.
According to Axios, Witkoff and Kushner agreed with their Iranian counterparts last week on the terms of a 60-day memorandum of understanding to extend the ceasefire, reopen the Strait of Hormuz, allow Iran to sell oil, and launch talks on Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium and future restrictions on enrichment.
However, Trump requested two amendments to the text on May 29, while the Iranians announced that they would seek amendments of their own, stalling the talks.
Axios also cited two sources familiar with the negotiations as saying that the differences are relatively minor. Trump has asked Tehran to agree that any final deal would include a 60-day deadline to complete the reduction of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile, while the Iranians want that period extended to 90 days.
It added that there is also a dispute over the amount of frozen Iranian funds to be released and the timing of their release. The United States would permit the release of the funds only upon reaching a final agreement and taking tangible steps toward its implementation, while the Iranians are demanding that part of the funds be released immediately.
