US Downs Iranian Attack Drones, Even As Momentum For Deal Builds

03:11 13.6.2026

US forces have shot down multiple Iranian attack drones flying toward the Strait of Hormuz, in another flare-up of violence even as Washington and Tehran are suggesting a peace deal is imminent.

“Iran launched multiple one-way attack drones in an attempt to strike commercial ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz,” US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on June 13.

“US forces have downed all of them in recent hours as traffic flow through the strait continues unimpeded. The international trade corridor remains open for transit,” it added.

Earlier, Iranian state media reported that explosions were heard near the port of Sirik and on Qeshm island, but it said the cause of the blasts were not known. Some reports said the blasts were likely warning shots fired by Iranian forces at ships attempting to transit the strait without permission.

It came as a senior US administration official said the US and Iran were “very close” to sealing a deal that would reopen the critical shipping route and dismantle Tehran’s nuclear enrichment infrastructure.

US President Donald Trump on June 12 had expressed frustration with Tehran, threatening further strikes if it did not quickly sign a peace agreement.

A day earlier, a senior US defense official told RFE/RL that the US military shot down two Iranian attack drones in what it called a “self-defense” strike after Tehran’s forces had targeted commercial vessels transiting the strait without its permission.

With reporting by Reuters

Source: blockade-gulf-israel/33640284.html?lbis=459336

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