Op True Promise Resumes? Iran Launches Wave Of Aerial Strikes Against Floating U.S. Asset In Hormuz

Added: 2026-05-28

[00:00:05]Iran launched a wave of one-way drones targeting a US-linked commercial vessel, escalating tensions in the Gulf before American forces responded with strikes on Iranian military infrastructure, American military said.

[00:00:23]According to a senior US official quoted by Axios, four Iranian drones were fired toward the ship but were intercepted by the US military.

[00:00:33]Washington then carried out what it described as defensive strikes on an Iranian drone launching unit before another drone could be launched.

[00:00:44]US forces also targeted an Iranian ground control station in Bandar Abbas that American officials claimed was preparing to launch a fifth drone.

[00:00:53]The US described the strikes as measured and purely defensive, saying the actions were aimed at preserving the ceasefire.

[00:01:05]Iran has not yet officially commented on claims that its forces launched a drone attack on the commercial ship in the Gulf waterways, but state media confirmed explosions in Bandar Abbas.

[00:01:23]Allahu Akbar. Iran launched an aerial attack on an American ship in the Strait of Hormuz amid fresh tensions in the Gulf.

[00:01:31]According to Axios, a senior US official said Iran fired four one-way drones at a US commercial ship.

[00:01:39]The US military shot down the drones and attacked another Iranian drone launching unit on the ground before it launched, the official added.

[00:01:53]Explosions were reported in southern Iran's Bandar Abbas city during the early hours of the morning.

[00:01:59]According to messages circulating online cited by Fars News, multiple residents reported hearing repeated blasts between 1:30 and 1:43 a.m. including at least three to four explosions in quick succession.

[00:02:15]Iran's Fars News Agency also reported that three explosions were heard in eastern Bandar Abbas around 1:30 a.m.

[00:02:22]The agency said the exact source of the blasts remains unclear and investigations are ongoing.

[00:02:28]Fars added that air defense systems in the city were briefly activated following the explosions.

[00:02:35]Witnesses said the sounds appeared to come from the eastern part of the city near the airport and the Bahonar area.

[00:02:41]One resident reported hearing a fighter jet before the explosions while others described the blasts as sounding similar to surface-to-air missile fire.

[00:02:50]America's war with Iran may officially be under a ceasefire but the human cost of the conflict is still rising.

[00:02:58]New Pentagon figures released Tuesday revealed that US casualties from the Iran war have climbed again with the official total now standing at 423 dead and wounded American personnel.

[00:03:10]That's three more casualties than the last public count released just days ago.

[00:03:15]The updated numbers came only hours after US Central Command confirmed fresh self-defense strikes inside southern Iran raising fears that the fragile truce between Washington and Tehran could collapse at any moment. At the same time, Iran's supreme leader Mojtaba Hameni issued a fiery warning declaring that America's military presence across the Middle East is now more vulnerable than ever before. In a written statement, Hameni claimed the war had shattered the image of US power in the region. He warned that Middle Eastern nations would no longer serve as shields for American bases and said the United States was losing influence day-by-day.

[00:03:51]Meanwhile, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps threatened retaliation for any future American strikes, keeping tensions dangerously high despite ongoing ceasefire talks.

[00:04:01]US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said negotiations with Iran are continuing and suggested a peace deal could still emerge very, very soon.

[00:04:10]But behind the scenes, serious questions are now being raised about whether the Pentagon is hiding the true scale of American losses.

[00:04:17]An explosive investigation by The Intercept earlier claimed the Pentagon's casualty figures may be a major undercount. According to the report, hundreds of injuries and illnesses linked to the war may not have been included in official databases used to brief Congress and the White House. One US official reportedly described it as a casualty cover-up. The report pointed to incidents allegedly left out of the official count, including more than 200 sailors treated after a massive fire aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford during Middle East operations. Even the number of deaths remains disputed. While official systems listed 14 US deaths for weeks, another Pentagon page reportedly showed 14. Questions also remain over why Major Sorfly Davius, a National Guard officer who died while deployed in Kuwait, was allegedly omitted from casualty records despite being publicly honored by senior US officials. As Washington and Tehran continue negotiating behind closed doors, the war's real toll may still be unfolding.

[00:05:17]"They can't do a damn thing." That was the explosive warning delivered by a senior commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards as Iran declared the United States is now begging for a deal [music] after failing to break the Islamic Republic through war, sanctions, and military pressure. Amid roaring nationalist rallies and growing [music] anti-US rhetoric across Iran, top IRGC officials [music] claimed Washington had badly miscalculated the balance of power in the Middle East.

[00:05:49]Speaking at a massive gathering in Zanjan's Enghelab Square on Tuesday, Mohammad Akbarzadeh, political deputy of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy, said America's influence was collapsing under the weight of rising fuel prices, regional instability, and Iran's military pressure campaign.

[00:06:10]>> [music] >> According to Iranian state media, Akbarzadeh argued that the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and Tehran's missile strikes had exposed what he described as America's inability to protect [music] its allies or control the region.

[00:06:25]The IRGC official claimed Iran's retaliatory attacks had shattered Western claims that Iran's missiles were merely show weapons, insisting that Iran's growing deterrence capabilities had [music] forced the US into negotiations from a position of weakness.

[00:06:42]He warned that any future US military operation, including amphibious assaults or direct [music] attacks on Iranian territory, would end in failure and disgrace for America.

[00:06:55]Akbarzadeh further claimed the United States and Israel now see war [music] only as a last resort because Iran's armed forces are prepared for a far more devastating response if conflict resumes.

[00:07:09]Referring to his recent visits to Iran's southern [music] coastlines and strategic islands, he said the country's military units were fully combat-ready and capable of delivering stronger retaliation than before.

[00:07:22]The fiery remarks came as Iran continues projecting strength [music] after months of confrontation with the United States and Israel.

[00:07:31]Tehran has repeatedly argued that its control over the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for global oil shipments, gives it enormous leverage over Western economies and energy markets.

[00:07:42]Meanwhile, Brigadier General Ali Reza Madani of the IRGC's Ashura division claimed the deployment of heavily armed Iranian forces along border areas had stripped enemies of the courage to launch a ground invasion.

[00:07:58]>> [music] >> He also praised the massive nightly rallies held across Iran for more than 80 consecutive [music] days, describing national unity as the driving force behind what he called Iran's rise as a regional superpower.

[00:08:13]Despite the ongoing ceasefire and negotiations brokered by Pakistan, >> [music] >> tensions remain dangerously high with both Tehran and Washington continuing to exchange threats while talks over [music] sanctions, Hormuz, and Iran's nuclear program remain deadlocked.

[00:08:33]Drones near American warships.

[00:08:36]>> [music] >> Speedboats moving in the shadow of the Strait of Hormuz.

[00:08:43]Missile and air defense activity suddenly surging across southern Iran.

[00:08:49]>> [music] >> And within hours, the United States launched fresh strikes.

[00:08:58]A dramatic [music] new report is shedding light on the tense military developments that unfolded just before the latest US strikes on southern Iran.

[00:09:05][music] According to two American officials speaking to the New York Times, Iran carried out a series of potentially [music] threatening military actions during the 24 hours leading up to the operation.

[00:09:17]The officials said Iranian drones were launched near American [music] naval vessels operating in the region, raising alarm among US military planners already monitoring heightened activity around one of the world's [music] most strategically sensitive waterways.

[00:09:32]US officials also reported the deployment of Iranian speedboats believed to be preparing for mine laying operations in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital maritime corridor through which a significant share of global energy supplies moves every day.

[00:09:51]Military analysts in Washington reportedly [music] detected intensified activity at Iranian missile and air defense [music] installations positioned near the Strait. Developments they assessed as posing a direct threat to American aircraft operating over and around the Gulf region. [music] Against that backdrop, the US military carried out strikes that it later described as defensive and limited in scope.

[00:10:17]American officials said the targets included missile launch positions and boats allegedly involved in mine deployment activities.

[00:10:25]The Pentagon insisted the action was conducted with restraint, pointing to the existence of a fragile weeks-long ceasefire that had already placed regional tensions on a knife's edge.

[00:10:35]Tehran, however, delivered a sharply different account. Iran's foreign ministry condemned the US operation as a clear act of bad faith taking place even as negotiations continue over a possible agreement aimed at ending the conflict.

[00:10:53]Iranian officials accused Washington of violating the ceasefire >> [music] >> and warned that the United States would bear responsibility for any consequences arising from the latest escalation.

[00:11:05]The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement condemning the ceasefire violation by the [music] terrorist American army in Hormozgan, warned that it holds the American regime responsible for the consequences of this aggression.

[00:11:19]The statement emphasizes that the Islamic Republic of Iran will leave no act of malice unanswered and will not hesitate in the slightest to defend the homeland.

[00:11:31]The foreign policy institution has deemed the multiple instances of maritime piracy and acts of malice over the past 48 hours in Hormuzgan a flagrant violation of paragraph four of article two of the United Nations Charter and a breach of the ceasefire.

[00:11:44]The statement clarifies that these aggressive actions occurring alongside the diplomatic process have once again exposed the American ruling establishment's bad faith to the Iranian nation, the people of the region and the global community.

[00:11:59]The Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted that these acts of malice show that Iran's approach in the field, the streets, and diplomacy is based on deep suspicion of the American regime and is rooted in logic and a profound understanding of its spiteful and criminal nature and actions toward the Iranian people.