The United States military says it has shot down four Iranian “one-way attack drones” heading toward the Strait of Hormuz, describing them as posing an immediate threat to regional maritime traffic.
US forces later “subsequently struck Iranian coastal surveillance radar sites in Goruk and on Qeshm Island to defend against further attacks”, according to a statement from US Central Command (United States Central Command).
In response, Iran reportedly fired ballistic missiles at two US air bases in Kuwait and at US Navy facilities in Bahrain, according to Iran’s state-run IRIB news agency.
The United States (United States) military said initial assessments indicated that out of seven missiles launched toward the two Gulf states, six were intercepted while one failed to reach its target.
The escalation comes days after both sides exchanged strikes, further straining a fragile ceasefire between Washington and Tehran. Iran (Iran) has been locked in mounting tensions with the United States over recent military actions in the region.
Local officials in Kuwait said one person was killed and more than 60 others injured after Iranian drone strikes hit Kuwait’s international airport on Wednesday.
However, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) denied involvement, claiming instead that the destruction resulted from a malfunction of a US missile interceptor.
US Central Command rejected that claim, stating, “This was false and claimed Iran struck the airport in a “deliberate, calculated and unjustified attack.”
The IRGC, however, maintained earlier that it had targeted US bases across the Gulf in retaliation for American strikes on an Iranian oil tanker and facilities on Qeshm Island.
The latest exchanges occurred as ceasefire negotiations between the two countries stalled, with efforts to formalise a peace agreement failing to progress.
Israel (Israel) and the United States had previously carried out wide-ranging strikes on Iran on 28 February, triggering a broader regional conflict.
Iran responded by launching attacks on Israel and US-aligned Gulf states, while also disrupting activity in the Strait of Hormuz (Strait of Hormuz), through which about 20% of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments pass. The disruption drove global oil prices higher.
After a ceasefire was reached in early April, Washington imposed a blockade on Iranian ports.
President Donald Trump said the measures would remain “in full force and effect until an agreement is reached, certified, and signed.”
