Iran launched missile and drone attacks on US military bases in Bahrain and Kuwait after fresh American strikes, pushing the fragile Gulf ceasefire closer toward complete collapse.
By Imran Malik | MediaBites News Desk
The Middle East moved dangerously closer to a wider regional war on Sunday after Iran launched missile and drone attacks targeting American military bases in Bahrain and Kuwait, sharply escalating tensions across the Gulf region.
The attacks came in direct response to fresh US military strikes on Iranian targets following a reported Iranian drone attack on a commercial oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) confirmed responsibility for the retaliatory operation, warning that American military installations across the region would face “serious consequences” if Washington continued strikes on Iranian territory.
Air raid sirens echoed across Bahrain while Kuwait confirmed that its air defence systems were activated to intercept hostile aerial threats approaching strategic military zones.
A US official confirmed the attacks to Reuters but said there were no immediate reports of American casualties or major infrastructure damage.
The latest confrontation has severely undermined the already fragile 14-point interim peace agreement signed earlier this month between Tehran and Washington after weeks of intense diplomacy involving Gulf states and Oman.
US President Donald Trump issued a strong warning to Tehran shortly after the attacks.
“There may come a point when we are no longer able to be reasonable,” Trump said on social media, accusing Iran of repeatedly violating ceasefire commitments.
Iran, however, accused Washington of breaching the peace deal first through continued military strikes and efforts to challenge Tehran’s control over strategic Gulf shipping routes.
The Strait of Hormuz remains at the centre of the escalating crisis.
READ MORE: Iran says Strait of Hormuz will ‘never return to pre-war conditions’
Iran has increasingly pushed for greater authority over commercial shipping passing through the waterway, through which nearly 20 percent of global oil and LNG supplies traditionally transit.
The United States and Gulf allies have rejected Iran’s proposal to impose transit tolls on vessels using the Strait of Hormuz, arguing that international maritime navigation must remain unrestricted.
Tensions escalated further after a Panama-flagged oil tanker was reportedly attacked by an Iranian drone near the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday.
In response, US Central Command announced fresh strikes on Iranian surveillance systems, coastal radar infrastructure, drone facilities, mine-laying positions and military communications sites.
Explosions were later reported near Sirik in southern Iran, although Iranian state media provided limited details regarding casualties or damage.
Meanwhile, the violence has also spilled into Lebanon, where Israel confirmed fresh strikes targeting Hezbollah fighters in southern Lebanon.
Iran accuses the United States of failing to uphold ceasefire understandings involving Hezbollah and Israel, further complicating diplomatic efforts to contain the conflict.
Despite recent attempts to restore commercial shipping activity in the Gulf, the renewed military escalation has once again raised fears over global energy security, regional stability and the possibility of a broader Middle East war.
Diplomatic observers now warn that the Gulf ceasefire agreement may be on the verge of complete collapse unless urgent international mediation succeeds in halting the rapidly intensifying cycle of attacks and retaliation.
