A ceasefire agreement between the United States and Iran has slipped further out of reach. Military clashes between the two sides have flared again, and Iran has shifted toward preparing for a breakdown in talks. Reports also emerged that Iran's moderate President Masoud Pezeshkian had submitted his resignation, citing overreach by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), adding to the turmoil.
On June 1 (local time), U.S. Central Command said on X (formerly Twitter) that it had "conducted self-defense strikes over the past weekend (May 30-31) against Iranian radar and drone control facilities at Goruk and Qeshm Island in Iran." Central Command emphasized that the action was a "deliberate and measured strike" in response to Iran's downing of a U.S. MQ-1 drone. It added that the strikes eliminated two Iranian suicide drones that had threatened vessels near the Strait of Hormuz, along with air defense systems and ground control stations. Iranian media also reported that three explosions were heard in Iran's Bandar Abbas region on June 1.
Iran retaliated immediately with airstrikes. Through Iranian media, the IRGC said, "Fighters of the IRGC Aerospace Force struck the air base from which the U.S. attack originated and destroyed the intended targets," adding, "If provocations recur, we will demonstrate a completely different response." Kuwait hosts U.S. Central Command's forward headquarters at Camp Arifjan and Ali Al Salem Air Base.
The United States and Iran are discussing a tougher new draft. Responding to reports that U.S. President Donald Trump had proposed harsher provisions in place of a ceasefire memorandum of understanding (MOU), Iran's Tasnim News Agency said, "The exchange of documents is continuing, and Iran will also revise the agreement on its own," while stressing that "Iran is fully prepared even if the agreement fails."
The Trump administration is sticking to its principles. On the same day, Trump wrote on his Truth Social account that "Iran sincerely wants to reach an agreement with the United States," criticizing that "comments from Democrats and some Republican lawmakers have made negotiations even more difficult." U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a Fox News interview aired the previous day, "Finish the job means keeping the Strait of Hormuz open, securing the highly enriched uranium, and ensuring Iran does not possess nuclear weapons."
As the rise of the hardline IRGC has been pointed to as a reason for the difficulties in negotiations, the dissident outlet Iran International reported that President Pezeshkian had submitted a resignation letter to the office of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, indicating that "the president and the government have been excluded from the country's major decision-making processes." However, Iranian media said, "The president has not resigned and remained focused on his duties today," claiming the report was the work of Israel's intelligence agency Mossad. Pezeshkian himself, on X, indirectly criticized the current power structure, saying, "We must clearly explain the existing reality to the people."
