Unrest unfolds in the Gulf as Iran targets US camps in Kuwait, Bahrain over ceasefire breach
text_fields
Sirens were heard across Kuwait and Bahrain after Iran launched attacks targeting multiple locations, in what it called retaliatory attacks against US strikes, which Tehran said violated the ceasefire, on Iranian oil vessels that had sailed through the Strait of Hormuz following the MoU granting a waiver on Iranian oil exports, over which the Trump administration faced criticism for the complete surrender of a key tool of economic leverage.
The exchange marked the most serious breach yet of the fragile truce agreed in April between the US and Iran, despite ongoing diplomatic efforts to secure a lasting settlement over Iran's nuclear programme. The ceasefire had been reinforced last month with the signing of an MoU that initiated a 60-day negotiating process while temporarily easing sanctions on Iranian oil exports.
The United States military said it had struck more than 80 targets across southern Iran in the early hours of Wednesday, citing Iranian attacks on three commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz the previous day.
According to US Central Command, the operation targeted weapon launch sites, air defence systems and coastal surveillance facilities, arguing that Iran's actions against civilian shipping constituted an unjustified violation of the ceasefire.
Iran responded by launching missile and drone attacks against US military installations in Bahrain and Kuwait. The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps claimed to have targeted 85 facilities. Air raid sirens sounded across both Gulf states as air defence systems intercepted incoming projectiles. While authorities confirmed hostile attacks, there were no immediate reports of casualties or significant damage.
Iran rejected the US justification, accusing the US of repeatedly violating both the ceasefire and the MoU. Iranian officials argued that interference in the Strait of Hormuz, continued Israeli military operations in Lebanon and strikes on southern Iran all amounted to breaches of the agreement.
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran's chief negotiator in talks with the US, also criticised the US Treasury's decision to revoke the temporary sanctions waiver on Iranian oil exports. The waiver, introduced following the signing of the MoU, had been withdrawn on Tuesday after the attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
The move revived criticism from opponents of the Trump administration's Iran policy, who had argued that easing sanctions before substantive nuclear negotiations had weakened Washington's bargaining position.
Among the vessels struck on Tuesday was the Qatari liquefied natural gas tanker Al Rekayyat, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre. The vessel was attempting to exit the Strait of Hormuz towards the Gulf of Oman when it came under attack.
Qatar, which has been mediating between the US and Iran, condemned the assault on the tanker. Foreign ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari described the incident as a serious and explicit violation of international law and said Iran would bear full responsibility for the act of aggression.