Gulf tensions escalate as Iran hits Kuwait, US strikes near Hormuz
The attacks are the latest to test a shaky ceasefire, sending oil prices up more than 2%, as the strait remains largely closed more than three months after initial US and Israeli strikes on Iran.
Highlights
- Kuwait reports damage to airport, diplomatic missions
- US intercepts Iranian missiles, strikes Qeshm Island
- Trump says talks continue; Tehran says communication has stalled
- Oil up more than 2% as Strait of Hormuz remains largely closed
Gulf hostilities flared again on Wednesday as an Iranian missile attack damaged Kuwait's airport and the US military carried out strikes near the Strait of Hormuz, with diplomacy between Washington and Tehran showing little sign of progress.
The attacks are the latest to test a shaky ceasefire, sending oil prices up more than 2%, as the strait remains largely closed more than three months after initial US and Israeli strikes on Iran.
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Flights at Kuwait International Airport were suspended after an Iranian drone and missile attack damaged airport facilities and diplomatic missions, killing one person and injuring others, according to Kuwaiti authorities and state media.
The civil aviation authority said Kuwait Airways was resuming flights from Terminal 4, after evaluating damage and taking safety measures.
Bahrain's army said it had intercepted three missiles and several drones, as Iran said it had attacked the headquarters of the U.S. Fifth Fleet in the country, as well as an airbase and helicopters in another, unspecified, regional state.
The US military said two Iranian missiles aimed at Kuwait fell short or broke up in flight, while several ballistic missiles failed to strike their targets in the region.
CEASEFIRE STRAINED BY FLARE-UPS
Since the conflict began on February 28, Iran has repeatedly attacked targets in the Gulf region home to US military bases, hitting civilian and military targets.
Hostilities have occasionally flared up since a ceasefire was agreed in early April, as the US has pushed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a route that handled roughly a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments before the war.
Last week, Iran and the US signalled progress towards a tentative initial agreement to halt the war and reopen the strait, but the two sides have yet to sign off on the deal, which would leave more complex negotiations for later.
Mohsen Rezaei, military adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, said on Tuesday Iran would not allow the US to "overreach" either in negotiations or ceasefire arrangements.
In a post on X, he warned that any aggression would be met with a barrage of missiles and drones.
Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the UAE president, said repeated attacks on Kuwait and Bahrain required a firm, unified and cohesive Gulf response. "The aggression does not target one country alone, but all of us," he wrote on X.
In further signs of escalation, the US military said it had downed drones targeting civilian ships in regional waters and US forces in Kuwait, and had carried out strikes on Qeshm Island near the Strait of Hormuz after attempted attacks by Iran.
Iranian media said that the Revolutionary Guards' navy targeted a vessel it identified as the Panaya with missiles, in response to what it said was a US attack on an Iranian tanker near Hormuz.
"Disrupting the security of the Strait of Hormuz will carry a heavy price for the US military," media cited the Guards as saying.
UNCERTAINTY OVER COURSE OF TALKS
Earlier, Iranian media said Tehran had not been in contact with Washington for several days, though US President Donald Trump said negotiations were continuing.
Since mid-March, he has repeatedly said he is close to a deal to end the fighting and pave the way for negotiations on thorny issues including the future of Iran's nuclear program.
In a podcast interview released on Wednesday, Trump said Iran had agreed to not have a nuclear weapon and that Khamenei was involved in negotiations. "They've already agreed they're not going to have a nuclear weapon," he said.
Trump has said his top priority is to stop Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Iran denies it is developing a nuclear bomb and says its atomic program is for peaceful purposes.
As part of any deal, Tehran is seeking a halt to fighting in Lebanon, access to billions of dollars in oil revenues, waivers on crude exports, a lifting of a US blockade on its ports and continued leverage over the strait.
ISRAEL KEEPS UP STRIKES IN LEBANON
The war has killed thousands, mainly in Iran and Lebanon, while causing global economic pain by severely disrupting energy supplies and other shipping.
It also sparked off the latest round of conflict between Israel and Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, with Israel pursuing its deepest incursion into Lebanon in 25 years.
On Tuesday, Israel kept up strikes on a string of southern towns, Lebanese security sources said, despite a US-mediated partial ceasefire unveiled on Monday.
On Wednesday, the Israeli military said it had intercepted a "hostile aircraft" that crossed into northern Israel.
