Kuwait reports deadly Iranian attack as U.S. strikes Iran

A missile and drone attack blamed on Iran struck Kuwait’s international airport Wednesday, killing one person, wounding others and suspending flights, as a new exchange of fire between Tehran and Washington threatened a fragile ceasefire and complicated efforts to end the war.

Kuwait’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned what it called “the brutal and ongoing Iranian attacks by ballistic missiles and drones,” saying the latest strike occurred at dawn and targeted “civilian and vital facilities, including Kuwait International Airport.” The ministry said the attack caused damage to vital facilities, including diplomatic missions, and that Kuwait reserved its “full and inherent right to take appropriate measures” consistent with international law.

Kuwaiti defense officials said hostile drones targeted the airport’s passenger facilities, causing serious damage and injuries. NBC News reported that Kuwait’s civil aviation authority suspended all air traffic after the attack, though flights later partially resumed.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it had struck U.S. military bases in Kuwait in retaliation for the latest American strikes on Iranian positions. The IRGC said it carried out “precise and concentrated missile strikes against the military bases of the American occupiers in Kuwait,” claiming the strikes caused “the successful destruction of targets and the ignition of fires.” It warned that any further U.S. attacks would bring “a shocking, crushing, and decisive response that goes beyond conventional rules and limits.”

U.S. Central Command said late Tuesday that Iran launched several ballistic missiles toward countries in the region, but that all “failed to hit their intended targets.” CENTCOM said two missiles fired at Kuwait fell short or broke apart en route, and three missiles launched at Bahrain were intercepted by U.S. and Bahraini air defenses. It also said U.S. forces shot down multiple Iranian drones, including three one-way attack drones aimed at civilian mariners in regional waters.

CENTCOM said American forces responded with “self-defense strikes” against an Iranian military ground control station on Qeshm Island and other targets. No U.S. personnel were harmed, the command said.

The latest confrontation followed a U.S. strike on a Botswana-flagged tanker headed toward Kharg Island, Iran’s main oil terminal, according to NBC News. CENTCOM said the ship ignored repeated warnings over 24 hours before a U.S. aircraft disabled it with a Hellfire missile fired into the engine room. The command said U.S. forces have disabled six commercial vessels and redirected 122 since a blockade of Iranian ports began April 13.

Iran’s foreign ministry condemned what it called “the aggressive act of the US terrorist army in attacking an Iranian tanker in the Strait of Hormuz and attacking a telecommunications mast on Qeshm Island,” saying the attacks violated the ceasefire.

The fighting has cast doubt on indirect negotiations between the United States and Iran. Iranian state-linked news agencies Fars and Tasnim reported that Tehran had stopped communicating through mediators, citing Israel’s continuing war against Hezbollah in Lebanon. President Donald Trump rejected that account Tuesday, writing on Truth Social that the reports were “false and erroneous.”

“The conversations between us have been going on continuously, including four days ago, three days ago, two days ago, one day ago, and today,” Trump wrote. “Where they lead, one never knows, but as I told Iran, ‘It’s time, one way or another, for you to make a Deal.’”

The tensions also rippled through energy markets. Oil prices rose more than 1% Wednesday, with both main contracts up about 5% for the week, as traders awaited signs of progress on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a route NBC News said carries about 20% of the world’s oil.