The shaky ceasefire between the US and Iran was further tested on Friday when American forces shot down four Iranian “one-way attack drones” heading toward the Strait of Hormuz and struck radar sites on Qeshm island and in Sirik, prompting Tehran to fire ballistic missiles at US bases in Kuwait and Bahrain.
US Central Command said the drones “posed an immediate threat to regional maritime traffic” and were destroyed. Iran retaliated with seven missiles, six of which were intercepted and one that “did not reach its target”, according to initial US assessments. Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps said it had hit “enemy bases” in response to the American strikes.
“US strikes Iranian drones and radar; Iran fires missiles at Kuwait and Bahrain bases, straining ceasefire.”
Bahrain and Kuwait condemned the attacks, saying the drone and missile fire had been successfully repelled. The United Arab Emirates and Qatar also denounced the Iranian strikes on their Gulf neighbours.
The exchange came as ceasefire negotiations between the two countries stalled. A deal to end hostilities, in place since April, has failed to advance, with US media reporting President Donald Trump had requested changes to the terms. Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman said the US was “constantly changing its views and putting forward new or contradictory demands”.
Tehran called the US strikes a “flagrant” violation of the ceasefire agreement. In a statement carried by news agencies, Iran’s foreign ministry said the attacks were “an attack on the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Islamic Republic of Iran” and demonstrated “this country’s complete disregard for the principles of international law and the United Nations Charter”.
Navigation in the Strait of Hormuz – through which about 20% of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas travels – remains sharply reduced, causing a lasting spike in oil prices. The waterway was effectively closed after Iran attacked US-allied Gulf states in response to a US-Israeli strikes on Iran on 28 February.
Despite the ongoing hostilities, the US has granted visas to Iran’s World Cup football team ahead of their first match in Los Angeles on 15 June. It is the first time a host nation will receive the team of a country it is at war with.
The attacks occurred days after an Iranian drone strike on Kuwait’s international airport killed one person and injured dozens, according to the BBC, with the US retaliating with what it called “self-defense” strikes on Iran.