U.S. and Iranian forces exchanged fire in the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, with Iran attacking three American naval vessels using drones, missiles, and small boats, per U.S. Central Command. American forces struck back at two Iranian ports — Bandar Abbas and Qeshm island — hitting launch bases, command posts, and intelligence centers. This came roughly one day after negotiators were reportedly near a 14-point framework memo for a long-term peace deal.
Trump told ABC News the skirmish was "just a love tap." That framing is doing a lot of work: it lets the administration claim restraint while avoiding accountability for the fact that Saudi Arabia had already killed "Project Freedom" — the naval escort operation — by denying airspace and base access, leaving U.S. posture in the strait without a regional anchor.
The play here: an exchange that disrupts a near-deal, alienates Riyadh, and gets called a love tap is not strategy. It's exposure with no coalition behind it.