Sunday marks 100 days since the United States and Israel began their joint military campaign against Iran. However, intermittent attacks between the two sides are clouding the prospects for talks on ending the hostilities.
The US Central Command said its forces had shot down four Iranian drones launched toward the Strait of Hormuz on Friday. It added that US forces had also subsequently struck Iranian coastal surveillance radar sites in Goruk and on Qeshm Island to defend against further maritime attacks.
Iran's regime-leaning Fars News Agency said the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC, retaliated by launching ballistic missiles. The agency quoted a statement from the corps as saying the strikes targeted a US base in Kuwait and a facility of the US Navy 5th Fleet in Bahrain.
Against this backdrop, diplomatic efforts are underway.
Tasnim News Agency, which has links to the IRGC, reported on Saturday that Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi had arrived in Tehran. The media outlet said he would meet Iranian officials, including Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
The Israeli military has been attacking Lebanon, where the Iran-backed Shia Muslim group Hezbollah is based. The Lebanese military announced in a social media post on Saturday that three people had been killed in an Israeli strike on a military vehicle in southern Lebanon.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun gave an interview to CNN on Friday, discussing Iran's demand during talks with the US for an end to fighting in Lebanon and on all other fronts. He accused Iran of "using Lebanon as a bargaining chip" in the negotiations.