CENTCOM Destroys 2 IRGC Mine-Laying Vessels and Intercepts Drones in Strait of Hormuz; Iran Fires on 4 Merchant Vessels — Day 90

US Central Command announced the destruction of two IRGC mine-laying vessels in the Strait of Hormuz on May 28, 2026 (Day 90), along with the interception of multiple one-way attack drones that had been launched against shipping. A US official confirmed that Iranian forces had fired on four merchant vessels attempting to transit the strait under international maritime rules, prompting CENTCOM to act under self-defense authority. The mine-laying vessel strikes continued the escalation cycle initiated by CENTCOM's Day 88 (May 26) strikes on IRGC positions near Bandar Abbas. The IRGC issued a statement warning the US that Iran 'reserves the right to full retaliation' and that the CENTCOM strikes 'will not go unanswered.' IranWire confirmed the CENTCOM statement on the mine vessels; Fox News reported CENTCOM also struck an IRGC underground headquarters facility in connection with the day's operations. The continued IRGC harassment of commercial shipping — despite the nominal ceasefire — represented a significant test of the ceasefire framework's durability, with CENTCOM maintaining that its actions were purely defensive responses to Iranian aggression in international waters rather than offensive strikes violating the ceasefire. The Strait of Hormuz remains at roughly 4 transits per day versus a pre-crisis baseline of 95 transits daily.