Iran strikes US sites in Kuwait and Bahrain

Iran launched missiles and drones at US military infrastructure in Kuwait and Bahrain after new American strikes on Iranian targets near the Strait of Hormuz, sharply escalating a confrontation that both countries say has breached a ceasefire agreed earlier this month.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said Sunday it targeted the US Ali Al Salem airbase in Kuwait and the US Fifth Naval Fleet at Port Salman in Bahrain. The IRGC said the strikes hit “eight key pieces of infrastructure” and described them as retaliation for US attacks on Iranian coastal posts.

Kuwait and Bahrain condemned the Iranian attacks. Bahrain said they violated its sovereignty and undermined “opportunities for de-escalation and stability in the region,” while Kuwait called the strikes “repeated heinous Iranian aggressions” and a “flagrant violation of its sovereignty.” Both countries reported activating air defenses. Kuwait’s armed forces said they were confronting “hostile missile and drone attacks,” while Bahrain’s Interior Ministry urged citizens to “remain calm and head to the nearest safe place.”

A US official told Reuters there were no reported US casualties or major impacts or damage to US facilities in the Middle East.

The latest exchange followed a US military operation against Iranian targets after a drone attack on the MT Kiku, a Panama-flagged tanker carrying more than two million barrels of crude oil near the Strait of Hormuz. US Central Command said US navy and air force units struck 10 Iranian military targets at multiple locations in and near the strait, including military equipment, communications systems, air defense sites and drone storage facilities.

“Iran was given a chance to honor the ceasefire agreement but elected not to when its forces launched a one-way attack drone that hit MT Kiku,” Centcom said. Britain’s UKMTO maritime security agency said the tanker sustained damage to its bridge, and all crew were reported safe.

Iran said the US had attacked five coastal posts under what it called “the pretext of the IRGC Navy confronting the offending ship.” Iran’s Foreign Ministry condemned the US strikes on monitoring and surveillance facilities on its southern coast as “brutal attacks” and said they violated the memorandum of understanding and the United Nations charter. The ministry said the strikes showed Washington “does not place the slightest value and credibility on its commitments.”

President Donald Trump accused Tehran of violating the ceasefire and warned late Saturday on social media that it was “very possible” Iran would “never learn.” He wrote: “There may come a point when we are no longer able to be reasonable, and will be forced to militarily complete the job that we very successfully started. If that happens, the Islamic Republic of Iran will no longer exist!”

The confrontation adds pressure to the June 17 memorandum of understanding, which extended a ceasefire in a war that began after US-Israeli attacks on Iran on February 28. The agreement gave the sides 60 days to negotiate an end to fighting and called for Iran to use its “best efforts for the safe passage of commercial vessels” through the Strait of Hormuz.

The strait, a crucial route for oil and gas shipments, had been effectively closed by Tehran during the war, triggering a spike in global oil prices and disrupting other commodity shipments. Iran has said vessels must use its designated route through the waterway and warned that ships using any other routes would violate the ceasefire agreement.

The latest violence came after another drone attack on Thursday hit the Singapore-registered MV Ever Lovely container ship. No injuries were reported. The US then struck locations near Sirik, while Iran said the ship had used an unauthorized route.

Speaking in Iraq on Sunday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said “the Strait of Hormuz remains under the total oversight and management of Iran throughout the 30 coming days,” adding that full capacity would be restored after “all obstacles are removed.” He warned that “any new developments” would worsen the situation, delay the reopening of the strait and raise escalation levels.