On Sunday, the US struck Iranian rocket launchers on Larak island to prevent Tehran planting mines in the key shipping lane, killing three people. Iran retaliated with missile and drone attacks on US targets in Jordan and the UAE, and shot down two American drones over Hormuz. President Trump vowed to "hit them hard”, promising a response. The skirmishes raised fears of a return to major hostilities. Iran claimed the ballistic missiles hitting two US air bases in Jordan caused "heavy damage," but Trump said all were shot down. Jordan said it intercepted eight missiles. Abu Dhabi denied that Al Minhad Air Base was targeted, calling the claim "baseless." Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian later called for dialogue, saying continuing the war is in neither country's interest and "the solution is dialogue and cooperation”. The exchange came after weeks of relative calm, as the Trump administration shifted to "economic warfare." Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent vowed to keep up pressure, predicting a turning point "within weeks or months”. Iran exerts its own economic pressure through the Hormuz blockade, which has roiled global markets and driven up prices during a midterm election year. One-fifth of the world's oil passed through the strait before the war. Trump claimed the US navy has "total control" of the strait, having cleared explosives from the waterway. Iran insists it controls the sea lane, claiming a "rogue" oil tanker caught fire after hitting mines — which the US military dismissed as "disinformation." A tanker did report being hit by three "unknown projectiles" off Oman's coast, with no casualties or environmental damage. Mediators have failed to broker peace after an earlier truce collapsed. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the solution is clear: "the United States must return to its commitments”, after which "everything can be put back on the right track." (Bssnews)