A cargo ship anchored in the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Bandar Abbas, Iran. Cargo ships are seen anchored in the Strait of Hormuz as viewed from the southern Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas on the 2nd. [ISNA·AP = Yonhap News]

Amidst final-stage difficulties in the ceasefire negotiations between the United States and Iran, tensions are rising in the Strait of Hormuz as the U.S. military has once again engaged in military action against Iran in the vicinity of the strait, two days after the previous incident (U.S. time).

According to Reuters, CBS, and Fox News on the 27th (U.S. local time), U.S. government officials stated that the U.S. military conducted airstrikes on an Iranian military facility that was deemed a threat to U.S. forces and the navigation of commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, and shot down four Iranian attack drones that posed a similar threat to the U.S. military.

Citing U.S. government officials, Fox News reported that the Iranian military facility targeted by the U.S. airstrike was a ground control station in the southern port city of Bandar Abbas, from which Iran was attempting to launch a fifth drone.

A U.S. government official told CBS that the ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran is still considered to be holding despite this attack, which occurred overnight Iranian time.

A U.S. government official interviewed by Fox News also stated that the U.S. military's actions on this day were purely defensive and measured, with the sole purpose of maintaining the ceasefire.

These reports came on the heels of earlier reports by Iranian media claiming to have heard explosions near Hormuz.

Local media reported that three explosions were heard east of Bandar Abbas around 1:30 AM Iranian time on the 28th (6:00 PM EST on the 27th), followed by the activation of Iranian air defense systems for several minutes.

A small-scale U.S. airstrike against Iran near the Strait of Hormuz had also occurred on the 25th.

At the time, U.S. Central Command stated that it had conducted airstrikes on some targets in southern Iran near the Strait of Hormuz in "exercise of self-defense." The U.S. military announced that the attacks were aimed at Iranian vessels attempting to lay mines and missile launchers.

At the time, Iran described the action as a "grave violation of the ceasefire agreement" and immediately threatened retaliation, though it remains unconfirmed whether this threat was carried out.

With the U.S. and Iran engaged in a war of nerves over a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for a ceasefire, the second military attack by the U.S. military in the Strait of Hormuz this week has drawn attention to its potential impact on the negotiations and the maintenance of the ceasefire.

While there have been successive reports and official statements from both the U.S. and Iran suggesting that a negotiated settlement is imminent, cautious views are emerging, stating that a resolution cannot be guaranteed due to disagreements between the two sides on issues such as the lifting of sanctions against Iran, the handling of nuclear materials, and the management of the Strait of Hormuz.

U.S. President Donald Trump said at a cabinet meeting at the White House on the 27th regarding the ceasefire negotiations with Iran, "So far, they have not reached a level that we are satisfied with. We will have to see what happens. We may have to go back and end it, or we may not need to right now."