On May 7, senior U.S. officials told a Fox News reporter that the United States had struck Iran's Qeshm island and Bandar Abbas, though they added that this was not a resumption of the war, and the strikes appear to be limited in scope. Iranian media also reported that the United States struck an Iranian oil tanker and that Iran had responded by firing missiles at the "enemy."

Until now, the United States had refrained from defending the United Arab Emirates against Iran's May 4-5 strikes, which reportedly led Saudi Arabia and Kuwait to withdraw support for the United States' Project Freedom navigation mission by suspending U.S. access to their airspace and basing rights. Shortly thereafter, the United States suspended the mission less than 48 hours after its launch. Kuwait and Saudi Arabia later ended their suspensions on May 7, likely with the knowledge that the United States would soon carry out strikes. Iran has repeatedly accused the United States and Israel of using negotiations as cover to carry out military operations, including the June 2025 Israeli strikes on Iran and the February 2026 joint Israeli-U.S. strikes.