Despite ongoing U.S.-Iran diplomatic engagement, continued ceasefire violations and unresolved disputes make prolonged, unstable containment more likely than a comprehensive, long-lasting peace agreement. On May 25, U.S. CENTCOM said it had conducted "self-defense" strikes in southern Iran around the port city of Bandar Abbas near the Strait of Hormuz, targeting naval assets and missile launch sites and boats laying mines. The strikes, which Iran said killed at least four navy personnel, were reportedly in response to Iranian attacks on U.S. air assets earlier that day, with Iran claiming it had downed a U.S. drone and fired on a U.S. fighter jet (though this could not be verified). Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has since threatened further escalation, while Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei warned that U.S. bases would no longer serve as a shield for Gulf Arab states. But despite the recent military tit-for-tat, U.S.-Iran negotiations to end the conflict reportedly...
