U.S. Destroyers and Iranian Forces Trade Fire in Hormuz as Strikes Hit Bandar Abbas and Qeshm

U.S. and Iranian forces exchanged fire on May 7 when three American destroyers transited the Strait of Hormuz, two days after Trump had announced a pause in Operation Project Freedom. U.S. forces struck Iranian military installations at Bandar Abbas and on Qeshm Island and disabled Iranian oil tankers. Iran fired on U.S. warships and launched missiles and drones toward the United Arab Emirates, where air defenses intercepted them; three people were reported moderately injured in the UAE.

The exchange occurred while the administration was publicly describing the escort operation as paused and negotiations as advancing. Strikes on mainland Iranian bases and on shipping expand a conflict the administration has characterized to Congress as limited and defensive, and each round of escalation raises the same War Powers Resolution questions that have run through the 2026 Iran campaign: how long hostilities can continue on the president's own authority, and what reporting Congress is entitled to.

The fighting continued intermittently through the spring and summer. Trump formally notified Congress of renewed military action against Iran in July.