On May 26, according to Fox News, the United States has ceased its military strikes against Iran. Previously, Reuters reported an explosion at the Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas.
Fox News journalist Jennifer Griffin wrote on the social platform X: "I have learned that the U.S. military strikes have now concluded. I reiterate: these actions were defensive in nature, not offensive, and were not intended to undermine the current ceasefire agreement."
The latest update this morning (May 26) confirms that the U.S. military operations against Iran have stopped. The recent skirmishes near the Strait of Hormuz and the port of Bandar Abbas represent a classic example of military diplomacy conducted “while fighting and negotiating simultaneously.”
According to senior U.S. military officials, the immediate cause of this conflict was the discovery by U.S. forces of two Iranian vessels attempting to lay mines in the Strait of Hormuz. In response, the U.S. conducted defensive strikes and successfully destroyed them. At the same time, U.S. forces also targeted an Iranian air defense missile launch site in Bandar Abbas.
Although military force was used, U.S. authorities repeatedly emphasized that these actions were purely “defensive” rather than offensive, with no intention of breaking the current ceasefire.
Ironically, on the very same day (May 25) that the U.S. launched airstrikes, delegations from both the United States and Iran were holding talks in Doha, the capital of Qatar, discussing possibilities for ending the hostilities. This simultaneous approach of military action and diplomatic negotiation has become the standard pattern in current U.S.-Iran strategic competition.
Despite ongoing localized clashes, both sides share a clear common bottom line: avoiding full-scale war. The U.S. cannot afford the economic catastrophe caused by prolonged blockage of global energy supply routes, while Iran cannot withstand the existential threat to its regime.
In summary, this brief flare-up once again underscores the fragility of the Middle East situation. Until a final political agreement is signed and implemented, such “ambiguous brinkmanship” is likely to continue. The key upcoming development will be whether the pending interim ceasefire memorandum can smoothly evolve into a substantive peace agreement.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1866215605929984/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.