US and Iran exchange fire, but Trump says ceasefire still in effect

WASHINGTON/DUBAI - The United States and Iran exchanged fire on Thursday in the most serious test yet of their month-long ceasefire, but Iran said the situation returned to normal while the U.S. said it did not want to escalate.

The renewed hostilities broke out as Washington was awaiting Iran’s response to a U.S. proposal that would stop the fighting but leave the most contentious issues, such as Iran’s nuclear program, unresolved for now.

Iran’s military said the U.S. targeted two ships entering the Strait of Hormuz and carried out strikes on Iranian territory. The U.S. military said it fired in response to Iranian attacks.

Trump told reporters the ceasefire was still in effect and sought to play down the exchange.

“They trifled with us today. We blew them away,” Trump said, while inspecting renovations to the Lincoln Memorial’s reflecting pool in Washington.

“I’ll let you know when there’s no ceasefire,” he added. “You’re not going to have to know, you’ll just have to look at one big glow coming out of Iran.”

Iran’s top joint military command accused the U.S. of violating the ceasefire by targeting an Iranian oil tanker and another ship, and of carrying out air attacks on civilian areas on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz and the nearby coastal areas of Bandar Khamir and Sirik on the mainland. The military said it responded by attacking U.S. military vessels east of the strait and south of the port of Chabahar.

A spokesperson for Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters said the Iranian strikes inflicted “significant damage,” but U.S. Central Command said none of its assets were hit.

Centcom said Iran had used missiles, drones and small boats in the attack, which targeted three Navy destroyers. The U.S. said it targeted missile and drone sites and other locations in response.

“CENTCOM does not seek escalation but remains positioned and ready to protect American forces,” it said in a statement.

Iran also said it would respond if attacked.

“(The) U.S. and its allies must know that Iran will respond forcefully and without the slightest hesitation to any act of aggression or attack,” the military spokesperson said, according to state television.

Iran’s Press TV later reported that, following several hours of fire, “the situation on Iranian islands and coastal cities by the Strait of Hormuz is back to normal now.”

The two sides have occasionally exchanged gunfire since the ceasefire took effect on April 7.

On Monday, the U.S. military said it destroyed six Iranian small boats and intercepted Iranian cruise missiles and drones as Tehran sought to thwart a U.S. naval effort to open shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump urges negotiated end to war

Trump suggested ongoing talks with Tehran remained on track despite Thursday’s hostilities, telling reporters, “We’re negotiating with the Iranians.”

Before the latest strikes, the U.S. had floated a proposal that would formally end the conflict but did not address key U.S. demands that Iran suspend its nuclear work and reopen the strait, which before the war handled one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas supply.

Tehran said it had not yet reached a conclusion on the emerging plan.

Even so, Trump said Iran had acknowledged his demand that Iran could never get a nuclear weapon, a prohibition he said was spelled out in the U.S. proposal.

“There’s zero chance. And they know that, and they’ve agreed to that. Let’s see if they are willing to sign it,” Trump said.

Asked when any deal might be reached, Trump said, “It might not happen, but it could happen any day. I believe they want to deal more than I do.”

The war has tested Trump’s relationship with his U.S. base of supporters, after he had campaigned against involving the United States in foreign wars and promised to bring down fuel prices.

U.S. crude futures rose as much as 3% in early trading in Asia on Friday after the renewed hostilities broke out.

U.S. gasoline prices have climbed more than 40% since late February, rising by about $1.20 a gallon to more than $4, according to data from the American Automobile Association, as disruptions to oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz pushed crude oil prices higher.

Markets have swung sharply during the course of the war as hopes for a peace deal repeatedly rose and faded.

Other Middle East developments

War powers: Michigan U.S. Rep. Tom Barrett introduced legislation in Congress on Thursday morning that would authorize military operations in Iran but limit their scope and impose a 90-day deadline to end the war, saying the president can’t continue to wage war overseas without involving Congress.

“I think we’re very close to a breakthrough in Iran. That’s my hope and continued prayer that we’re able to do that,” Barrett told The Detroit News. “But I also believe that Congress has a role in authorizing this if that’s the will of the people.”

The measure from the Charlotte Republican lawmaker would specifically authorize Trump for 90 days to use military force to demolish or degrade Iran’s nuclear program, enforce a blockade of Iranian ports and allow for the safe passage of U.S. and allied ships through the Strait of Hormuz.

But it denies authorization for putting troops on the ground in Iran, nation-building, or occupying or holding territory within Iran, according to the text of Barrett’s bill.

The legislation appears to be the first authorization of military force introduced for Iran, where fighting has been mostly paused since the U.S. and Iran agreed to a ceasefire on April 8 to permit more peace talks.

Barrett’s measure comes after Trump on May 1 hit a key milestone in the Iran war under the 1973 War Powers Resolution that limits the administration’s use of force without authorization from Congress. That statute provides a 60-day clock for the president to end the use of force unless Congress has declared war or authorized the use of military force. That 60-day clock expired on May 1 in Iran.

The 90-day authorization set forth under Barrett’s bill would sunset July 30, backdating the start to May 1. It also provides for a limited, 30-day “wind-down” period to end deployment or military engagement.

Trump has said he does not need to seek approval from Congress for the Iran war and pointed to previous presidents having done the same with prior conflicts.

Lebanon: The Israeli military has said 200 fighters from the pro-Iranian Hezbollah militia have been killed since the ceasefire began in Lebanon three weeks ago.

“In recent weeks, more than 220 terrorists and commanders from the terrorist organization Hezbollah, who posed a threat to Israeli soldiers and civilians, have been eliminated,” the Israeli army said in a statement on Thursday.

Upon an inquiry, it was clarified that this refers to the period since the ceasefire was announced three weeks ago. Last week alone, 85 Hezbollah fighters were reportedly killed.

The Shiite militia itself has not commented on its losses.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that on Wednesday evening, the commander of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan unit was killed in a targeted Israeli strike in the southern suburbs of Beirut.

Commander Malek Balut is said to have played a leading role in planning an incursion into northern Israel. The allegation cannot be independently verified.

Netanyahu also said that Israel had killed more than 200 Hezbollah fighters over the past month.

Under the current ceasefire agreement, the Israeli army is permitted to defend itself against planned, imminent or ongoing attacks, but is required to refrain from “offensive” operations against targets in Lebanon.

Gaza: Palestinian medics reported further fatalities on Thursday following a new Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip.

Three Palestinians were killed in Gaza City and others were injured, some seriously, according to local medical sources. Reports from inside Gaza said a Hamas police outpost was hit.

Israeli military said later it had killed several armed members of Hamas in a command center, describing them as an “imminent threat” who had been planning attacks on Israeli civilians and soldiers. No further details were given.

The military also said its forces had in the past week killed a Hamas member involved in the abduction of an Israeli woman during the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks. The man had worked as a medic, it said, without specifying where or when he was killed. The abducted woman was later released under a deal between Israel and Hamas in November 2023.

The claims by both sides could not be independently verified.

Although a ceasefire has been in place for more than six months in the war between Hamas and Israel, deadly attacks and confrontations continue to occur.

In a separate recent strike, Israel’s military killed a son of Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya, according to hospital sources.

Al-Hayya is the highest-ranking Hamas official abroad and a negotiator in indirect talks with Israel on a lasting peace settlement for Gaza. Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem told dpa that this was the fourth of al-Hayya’s sons to have been killed in Israeli attacks.

Israel continues to control roughly half of the Gaza Strip, while Hamas has consolidated its rule in the areas it holds since the ceasefire began.

The group has so far rejected plans for disarmament outlined in a peace proposal by Trump.

Bloomberg News, The Detroit News and German press agency dpa contributed to this report.

Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect.

This story was originally published May 7, 2026 at 10:20 PM.