An MH-60R Seahawk helicopter approaches the USS Delbert D. Black (DDG 119) after patrolling the Arabian Sea in support of the U.S. blockade against Iran. [U.S. Central Command]

Iran attacked a U.S. military air base on Thursday, following a strike by the U.S. on what it described as Iranian drone operations near the Strait of Hormuz.

The U.S. Central Command announced that it shot down five Iranian attack drones and struck a ground control station in the port city of Bandar Abbas, from which a sixth drone was about to be launched.

"These actions were deliberate and purely defensive, and were intended to maintain de-escalation," a military official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss military operations candidly, told Reuters.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps subsequently claimed it had targeted the U.S. military base behind the pre-dawn attack near Bandar Abbas airport, according to Tasnim news agency.

The IRGC did not name the base but warned that if such aggressive actions were repeated, they would face a "more decisive" response.

Kuwait, which hosts a large U.S. military base, said it was responding to missile and drone attacks but did not identify the source of the strikes.

President Donald Trump said Wednesday to the press at a cabinet meeting that he was not yet satisfied with the outcome of his talks with Iran and that the easing of sanctions on Iran, one of Tehran's demands, was not up for discussion.

He dismissed reports by Iranian state television of a draft informal agreement for shipping traffic to be restored to pre-war levels within a month, with Iran and the Gulf nation of Oman jointly managing passage through the strait.

Trump said no single country could control the waterway, making what appeared to be a threat to Oman, which has had decades-long military and economic ties with the United States.

"Nobody can control it," Trump said. "The strait is international waters, and Oman is going to have to act like every other country. Otherwise, we're going to have to blow them up. They'll understand, so it'll be fine."

U.S. NNP=Hong Seong-gu Chief Reporter / Special Correspondent for this newspaper NNP info@newsandpost.com