Oil prices bounced higher on Thursday while Asian stocks mostly fell, as new US strikes on Iran marked the latest test of a shaky ceasefire in the Middle East war.The price jumps erased much of Wednesday's declines on the hopes of an imminent deal to end the conflict that has all but halted shipping through the crucial Strait of Hormuz for months.
An American official said the military had shot down four Iranian drones and struck a control center in the southern city of Bandar Abbas.
The official, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, described the latest actions as "measured, purely defensive, and intended to maintain the ceasefire".
Tehran's state media said Iranian forces had fired at four ships in the strait, while Kuwait said its air defenses were responding to missile and drone attacks.
The developments came despite an Iranian official saying renewed hostilities with the United States were unlikely, and a threat from US President Donald Trump to "finish the job" if a peace deal was not reached.
