US Strikes On Iran Trigger Retaliatory Attacks On Kuwait And Bahrain

The U.S. military launched a fresh round of strikes on Iran Wednesday aimed at keeping the Strait of Hormuz open to shipping, prompting Iranian attacks on Kuwait and Bahrain in a sharp escalation that threatens to unravel efforts to end the war. The strikes came hours after President Trump declared he believed a fragile ceasefire with Iran was effectively “over.”

U.S. Central Command said the operation was designed to further limit Iran’s ability to threaten shipping through the strait, framing it as a response to Tuesday’s attack on three cargo vessels transiting the waterway. Central Command stated the U.S. was holding Iran accountable for what it called unjustified aggression against commercial shipping and civilian crews in international waters.

The strikes shook several cities along Iran’s southern coast and cut power to parts of the region. In response, Iran carried out a second consecutive day of attacks on Kuwait and Bahrain, both home to U.S. military installations. Kuwait’s Defense Ministry reported intercepting missiles and drones, while Qatar briefly raised its security alert level before standing down. A U.S. official told Reuters that Wednesday’s strikes were larger in scale than those launched a day earlier, and Trump warned on Truth Social that any further Iranian attacks would trigger an even harsher response.

Strait of Hormuz Remains Central Flashpoint

Control over the Strait of Hormuz — through which roughly a fifth of the world’s oil once flowed before the war — has given Iran significant leverage against a far stronger U.S. military presence. Though Tehran hasn’t claimed responsibility for the ship attacks, analysts believe such actions are aimed at strengthening its negotiating position. Iran’s top negotiator, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, warned that any U.S. strike would be met with retaliation and insisted the strait would reopen only on Iran’s terms.

The exchange casts doubt on prospects for turning the June 17 memorandum of understanding into a lasting resolution to the conflict, which began with joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran in late February. Speaking ahead of a NATO summit in Turkey, Trump suggested he saw little point continuing to negotiate with Tehran, calling Iranian officials dishonest, though he downplayed the chances of a full-scale war resuming and predicted the situation would stabilize quickly — even benefiting global oil markets.

Oil prices ticked up modestly following the strikes, with Brent crude nearing $79 a barrel, still well below the peak surpassing $120 seen in late April.

Bandar Abbas and Other Cities Hit

Iranian state media reported that strikes concentrated along the country’s southern coastline, from the Strait of Hormuz to the Gulf of Oman. Targets included Bandar Abbas — home to Iran’s largest port along with major naval and Revolutionary Guard facilities — as well as the coastal towns of Konarak and Chabahar near the Pakistani border. Power was largely restored in Chabahar after outages, though a maritime traffic control tower there was reportedly struck. A firefighter was killed in a strike on the airport in Iranshahr, while a separate attack hit a railway bridge near Aqqala in northern Iran.

Before the latest strikes, Iranian officials had accused Washington of violating the memorandum by disputing Iran’s authority over ship passage through the strait, while a parliamentary security spokesperson suggested possible retaliatory measures could include withdrawing from the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty or closing the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, another critical global shipping route. Iran’s mission to the United Nations also formally accused the U.S. of violating the UN Charter in a letter to the Security Council.