Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they targeted a US airbase at 4:50am local time, or 9.20am Hong Kong time on Thursday, after what they described as an early morning US attack near Bandar Abbas airport, Tasnim news agency reported.

"Following this morning's aggression by the invading US military against a location on the outskirts of Bandar Abbas Airport using aerial projectiles, the American air base that served as the source of the attack was targeted at 4:50am," the Guards said, according to state broadcaster IRIB.

It did not provide details of the location of the base, though Kuwait, a US ally, said it was responding to missile and drone attacks on Thursday morning.

"Kuwaiti air defences are currently engaging hostile missile and drone attacks," the Kuwaiti army posted on X.

A US official also said "today, US Central Command Forces shot down four Iranian one-way attack drones that posed a threat around the Strait of Hormuz".

The Revolutionary Guards, in announcing the targeting of the US air base, warned that any repeat of what they called aggression would draw a "more decisive" response and said responsibility for the consequences lay with the "aggressor".

Iranian forces also fired at four ships attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz, IRIB reported on Thursday.

"Four vessels attempted to cross the Strait of Hormuz and enter the Persian Gulf without coordination with the security forces," IRIB posted on Telegram, saying the incident took place at around 12:35am local time but without providing details on the ships.

"They were warned, but after they ignored the warning, warning shots were fired at them, forcing them to return," it added.

The attacks and counterattacks came as the US Treasury announced sanctions against Iran's Persian Gulf Strait Authority, Tehran's new agency that collects fees for travelling through the Strait of Hormuz.

"The Iranian military's latest attempt to extort global maritime trade is proof that Economic Fury has left the regime desperate for cash," US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement.

The statement extended the threat of sanctions to anyone paying the fees, because they "may be providing support to and receiving services from" Iran's Revolutionary Guards, and therefore may "be exposed to sanctions risk."

"Treasury has deprived the Iranian regime of revenue for their weapons programs, terrorist proxies and nuclear ambitions," Bessent said.

The statement said the US has succeeded in disrupting "tens of billions of dollars' worth of revenue from being accessible" to Tehran.

In a post to X on May 20, the Persian Gulf Strait Authority issued a map to define its "regulatory jurisdiction," demarcating red lines on both sides of the Strait of Hormuz that require Iran's authorisation for passage.

Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said on Monday that Tehran will continue to manage traffic through the strait and insisted Iran is collecting fees for "navigational services," rather than imposing tolls.

Two supertankers and one liquefied natural gas tanker exited the strait this week with their transponders switched off and are heading for India and China, shipping data from LSEG and Kpler showed. (Reuters & AFP)



Edited by Raymond Yeung