Iran accuses the US of violating the ceasefire agreement.

Iran's Foreign Ministry said on May 26 that the US attacks in the southern province of Hormozgan were a "serious violation" of the fragile ceasefire that had been in place for nearly seven weeks. Iranian media had previously reported that multiple explosions had been heard in the area in the early hours of the same day.

On the US side, Washington asserted that the attacks were defensive, targeting missile launchers and ships believed to be attempting to lay mines.

screenshot-2026-02-28-at-16.17.51.jpg — President Trump announced an attack on Iran on February 28. (Screenshot)

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said it might take "a few more days" to finalize an agreement to end the conflict. Earlier, both the US and Iran signaled that they had made progress on a preliminary agreement to end fighting and restore navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.

Following the US airstrikes, Rubio stressed that the Strait of Hormuz must be reopened to traffic “one way or another.”

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps asserted that it reserves the right to retaliate against US attacks. The force also claimed that its air defense units shot down a US drone and fired at another drone and a fighter jet that it believed had entered Iranian airspace over the Persian Gulf.

According to the plan, the initial agreement would create a framework for 60 days of negotiations to address more complex issues, including Iran's nuclear program.

Iranian media reported that negotiators are pushing to include provisions for the release of billions of dollars worth of frozen Iranian assets in a memorandum of understanding between the two sides. Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, Tehran's chief negotiator, recently returned from Qatar after pushing for the release of approximately $24 billion worth of frozen Iranian assets. The Fars news agency, citing a source, said this is now the final obstacle preventing an agreement.

Iran also hopes to end the fighting in Lebanon, where a ceasefire was established in mid-April but has not completely prevented clashes between Israel and Iranian-backed Hezbollah forces.