US launches fresh strikes on Iran as tensions escalate despite ceasefire efforts

Dubai: The United States military carried out another round of airstrikes against Iran on Saturday at the direction of President Donald Trump, as Iran launched attacks targeting Bahrain and Kuwait, raising concerns over the stability of the temporary ceasefire arrangement between Washington and Tehran.

The strike on Kuwait early Sunday was reported to be the first major escalation since the two sides agreed to a deal intended to pause hostilities. The development came as a maritime security body coordinated by the US Navy announced plans to expand a shipping route near Oman’s coast in the Strait of Hormuz to support both incoming and outgoing vessel traffic, Associated Press reported.

The move is expected to create further friction with Iran, which has opposed alternative routes through the strategic waterway.

US Central Command said its strikes targeted Iranian military facilities, including surveillance systems, communication networks, air defence installations, drone storage locations, and mine-laying capabilities. The operation was described as a response to an earlier attack on a commercial vessel at sea.

The vessel involved was the Panama-flagged tanker Kiku, which was carrying crude oil for Qatar’s state-owned energy company. Qatar has played a key role in diplomatic efforts between Iran and the United States.

President Trump said on social media that the US strikes were aimed at Iranian missile and drone storage facilities as well as coastal radar sites, accusing Tehran of violating the ceasefire agreement. He warned that if Iran continued such actions, Washington could eventually respond with a larger military operation, stating that Iran’s government could face severe consequences.

The latest exchange followed a similar confrontation days earlier, when an Iranian drone reportedly struck a merchant vessel near Oman, prompting the US military to launch retaliatory strikes.

According to ship-tracking data, the Kiku had departed from a Qatari oil field in the Persian Gulf and was heading towards a port in the United Arab Emirates near the Gulf of Oman. Reports suggested that the vessel was attempting to use a maritime route near Oman that serves as an alternative to a route preferred by Iran through its own territorial waters.

The US military said Iran had the opportunity to respect the ceasefire but chose to take action against the tanker instead.

Iranian state media reported explosions in an area north of the Strait of Hormuz following the strikes.

After the US operation, Kuwait’s military announced that its air defence systems had intercepted incoming Iranian drones and missiles. Officials did not immediately provide details about possible damage.