US and Iran Engage in Airstrikes and Drone Attacks in Persian Gulf

After overnight airstrikes by the US, Iran launched a drone strike targeting Bahrain on Saturday, while a ship was also attacked in the Strait of Hormuz on the other side. The action is believed to be in response to US airstrikes by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The attacks in the Persian Gulf are a sign that the situation in the Middle East may once again spiral out of control, despite an interim agreement recently reached between Iran and the US towards a final agreement to end the conflict. The US carried out these airstrikes in response to an Iranian drone attack on a ship passing through Hormuz on Thursday. Such continued attacks have once again highlighted the fragile state of the ceasefire between the two countries. Meanwhile, a multinational maritime organization working under the supervision of the US Navy announced on Saturday that the maritime route to Hormuz near Oman will be expanded and will not be seen as coinciding with a new flotation with Iranian ships.