Explained: How US Struck Iran And Tehran Retaliated By Targeting Bahrain, Kuwait

The United States carried out a fresh round of strikes on more than 80 Iranian targets in and around the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, prompting Iran to retaliate with missile and drone attacks on US military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait, in the latest exchange to test a fragile ceasefire reached last month between Washington and Tehran.

Air raid sirens sounded across Bahrain and Kuwait as Iranian projectiles headed towards US facilities, including Bahrain's Fifth Naval District at Bandar Salman and Kuwait's Ali Al Salem Air Base. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it also shot down a US MQ-9 drone attempting to interfere with the operation. Kuwaiti authorities said air defences intercepted "hostile" missiles and drones, while Bahrain activated missile alerts twice during the morning.

The latest exchange has raised fresh doubts over the future of the 60-day interim ceasefire, which was intended to halt fighting, restore security in the Strait of Hormuz and create space for negotiations over Iran's nuclear programme. Instead, renewed attacks on commercial shipping, US military retaliation and Washington's decision to revoke sanctions relief allowing Iranian oil sales have deepened tensions, although neither side immediately signalled it was prepared to abandon negotiations on a permanent agreement.

US Strikes Follow Attacks On Shipping

The US military said it launched the strikes after Iran attacked three commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz. In a statement posted on X, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said American forces had begun "a series of powerful strikes" to impose heavy costs for "targeting and attacking commercial shipping crewed by innocent civilians in an international waterway". It described Iran's actions as "unwarranted, dangerous, and a clear violation of the ceasefire."

According to CENTCOM, US forces struck more than 80 targets, including Iranian air defence systems, command-and-control networks, coastal radar sites, surface-to-air missile batteries, anti-ship cruise missile positions, drone launch sites, port facilities and more than 60 small boats belonging to the IRGC that had been used to harass shipping in the strait. It added that the operation had concluded but warned American forces remained prepared to hold Iran accountable if the agreement was not respected.

According to Reuters, US officials said the strikes also targeted coastal surveillance systems and other military infrastructure used to threaten commercial shipping. One official said initial indications suggested Iran had fired at three commercial vessels before the American response, while another said negotiators were still working in good faith towards a final agreement despite the latest escalation.

Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters condemned the American operation as a "blatant act of aggression", promised a "crushing response" and warned that Tehran would "not allow US interference" in the management of the Strait of Hormuz. The IRGC later announced what it described as a joint missile and drone operation against American military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf accused Washington of violating the ceasefire through the military strikes, renewed oil sanctions, interference in Iran's adjustments to shipping arrangements in the Strait of Hormuz and Israeli attacks in Lebanon.

"The era of bullying and extortion is over," Qalibaf said in a post on X. "We don't fold."

Iran's Foreign Ministry also condemned Washington's decision to withdraw the sanctions relief that had temporarily allowed Iranian crude and petroleum products to be sold openly in US dollars until August, calling the move a breach of the interim framework and warning that Tehran would take any measure it considered necessary to protect its national security and interests.

Shipping Attacks And Oil Pressure

Iranian state media reported explosions in Bandar Abbas, Sirik, Qeshm Island and the country's principal oil export hub on Kharg Island, although CENTCOM did not mention Kharg among its targets. Iranian officials reported no civilian deaths, though several people were injured by shrapnel after what state television described as an "enemy projectile" struck a commercial pier in Sirik. Fishing piers in Sirik and Bandar Abbas were also reported to have been hit.

The confrontation followed attacks on three commercial vessels operating in the Strait of Hormuz. British maritime authorities said one tanker caught fire after being struck off the coast of Oman, while two other ships sustained damage but continued their voyages. Qatar identified the affected liquefied natural gas tanker as the Al Rekayyat and accused Iran of carrying out an "unacceptable attack" on international navigation and global energy security. Maritime sources also reported damage to the Saudi-flagged crude oil tanker Wedyan, although the cause was not immediately established.

Tehran denied responsibility for the latest attacks on commercial shipping. Iran's Foreign Ministry described Qatar's accusations as perplexing and insisted the country remained committed to the interim agreement. At the same time, it reiterated that commercial vessels faced risks if they used routes through the strait that had not been coordinated with Iranian authorities. Under the temporary ceasefire, ships were permitted to transit the waterway without paying charges for 60 days, but Tehran has maintained that it should determine approved navigation routes and later introduce transit fees, a proposal rejected by the United States and several Gulf Arab states.

The Associated Press reported the latest exchange closely resembled similar incidents late last month, when attacks on shipping were followed by US retaliatory strikes and Iranian missile and drone attacks on Bahrain and Kuwait, underscoring how quickly the ceasefire has come under strain.

Ceasefire Under Strain

Washington also tightened economic pressure by revoking the general licence issued on 22 June that had permitted Iran to sell crude oil, petrochemical and petroleum products on international markets until 21 August. The Treasury Department gave businesses until 17 July to wind down transactions. The decision, announced shortly before the military strikes, prompted oil prices to rise by more than three per cent as traders assessed the risks to global energy supplies. Tehran said the withdrawal of sanctions relief violated the framework agreed to end the conflict and warned Washington would bear responsibility for the consequences.

Axios reported that President Donald Trump approved the strike plan while attending the NATO summit in Turkey alongside senior national security officials before ordering the operation against Iranian targets. The outlet also reported that Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth was expected to travel to Israel after the summit for talks focused on Iran and the wider regional situation.

The exchange unfolded as Iran continued funeral ceremonies for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed on the opening day of the war alongside several members of his family. The ceasefire had been intended to provide a 60-day window for indirect negotiations on a permanent settlement, but talks in Qatar ended last week without progress. Trump has repeatedly threatened to resume bombing unless Iran agrees to "make a deal". Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi responded that negotiations on a final agreement would "not commence if threats continue", leaving the ceasefire under renewed pressure despite both sides continuing to signal support for diplomacy.