The US military shot down four Iranian drones and struck coastal radar sites on Friday, after Iran launched missiles at Kuwait and Bahrain in the latest challenge to the fragile ceasefire.
US Central Command said the drones were heading towards the Strait of Hormuz and "posed an immediate threat to regional maritime traffic". In response, American forces struck Iranian coastal surveillance radar sites in southern Iran, including an island in the strait, "to defend against further attacks".
“US forces shot down four Iranian drones and struck radar sites; Iran fired seven missiles at Kuwait and Bahrain.”
Iran retaliated hours later by firing seven ballistic missiles at two US air bases in Kuwait and US Navy facilities in Bahrain, according to Iran's Irib news agency. The US military said six of the missiles were intercepted and a seventh did not reach its target. Kuwait's military said forces were intercepting missiles and drones, while Bahrain activated air raid sirens and told residents to move to safe locations.
Earlier this week, Iranian drones struck Kuwait's international airport on Wednesday, killing one person and injuring more than 60. Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps denied responsibility, claiming the damage was caused by an error from a US missile interceptor. US Central Command called that false and said Iran struck the airport in a "deliberate, calculated and unjustified attack".
The attacks strained an already shaky ceasefire agreed in early April, which had ended a wider conflict sparked by US and Israeli strikes on Iran on 28 February. That war led to the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20% of the world's oil and LNG travels, sending energy prices soaring. The US has since established a blockade of Iranian ports.
President Donald Trump told reporters on Friday that "the situation with Iran seems to be going quite well". He said: "We're going to come out of Iran very quickly and it's going to be very strong one way or the other, whether it's a piece of paper or the very tough way."
However, ceasefire negotiations have stalled. US media reported that Trump had requested changes to the terms of an agreement. Iran's foreign ministry spokesman said the US was "constantly changing its views and putting forward new or contradictory demands".
Trump said an agreement to extend the ceasefire could happen "over the next week". Meanwhile, the US has granted visas to Iran's World Cup football team ahead of their first match in Los Angeles on 15 June.