Iran strikes Bahrain, Kuwait after US attacks, tensions threaten fragile peace
TLE DESK: Iran launched drone and missile attacks against Bahrain and Kuwait on Sunday in retaliation for fresh US airstrikes, sharply escalating tensions in the Gulf and casting doubt over ongoing negotiations aimed at ending the conflict.
Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard said the attacks were carried out in response to US military strikes targeting Iranian military infrastructure. The Guard also warned that any further American military action would lead to a “complete halt” in negotiations over a proposed interim peace agreement.
The latest escalation comes as Washington and Tehran continue to negotiate the implementation of a memorandum of understanding signed earlier this month. The agreement allows both sides 60 days to settle key issues, including freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, sanctions relief and the future of Iran’s highly enriched uranium stockpile. The renewed exchange of attacks now threatens to derail those efforts.
Kuwait said its air defence systems intercepted two Iranian ballistic missiles and several drones targeting the country. The Gulf state, which hosts a major US Army base, reported no casualties or damage.
In neighbouring Bahrain, authorities said an Iranian missile struck a residential building near the country’s international airport, destroying the upper floor of the eight-storey structure. Officials said no fatalities were reported.
Bahrain, home to the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, condemned the attack as a deliberate assault on its sovereignty and national security. The Bahraini Foreign Ministry described the strike as “a dangerous escalation” reflecting what it called a pattern of repeated Iranian aggression.
The attacks followed fresh US military operations against Iran earlier on Sunday. According to US Central Command, American forces struck Iranian surveillance systems, communications infrastructure, air defence sites, drone storage facilities and naval minelaying capabilities after Tehran allegedly violated a ceasefire agreement by attacking a commercial oil tanker.
US President Donald Trump accused Iran of repeatedly breaching the ceasefire and warned that Washington could intensify military operations if Tehran continued its attacks.
“If that happens, the Islamic Republic of Iran will no longer exist,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
The Revolutionary Guard rejected the US allegations and claimed responsibility for the attacks, saying they were directed at military installations associated with American forces in Kuwait. It insisted Iran would suspend all diplomatic processes if the ceasefire continued to be violated.
The latest confrontation has also intensified disputes over the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most strategically important maritime routes through which nearly one-fifth of global oil and natural gas supplies pass.
A US-backed multinational maritime coalition recently announced plans to expand an alternative shipping corridor near Oman to facilitate commercial traffic. Tehran has opposed the move, insisting that only Iran should oversee navigation through the waterway after the war.
Iran has also accused the United States of undermining the peace process, while Washington maintains Tehran failed to honour the ceasefire by targeting commercial shipping and Gulf states hosting American military facilities.
The renewed hostilities have heightened concerns that the fragile diplomatic process could collapse entirely, raising fears of a broader regional conflict with significant implications for global energy supplies and maritime security.
