Bahrain and Kuwait have reported that Iran fired ballistic missiles and drones at them, in the latest escalation of a conflict that has strained a fragile ceasefire and deepened a global humanitarian crisis.
Air raid sirens sounded in Bahrain on Saturday and residents were told to move to safe locations and await further instructions. Kuwait’s military said it was responding to “hostile” missile and drone attacks. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they had targeted the Ali al-Salem airbase in Kuwait, which hosts US forces, and facilities associated with the US Navy’s 5th Fleet in Bahrain. US Central Command (Centcom) later stated that Iran had fired seven ballistic missiles toward the two Gulf states, of which six were intercepted and a seventh failed to reach its target. Centcom added that there were no reports of harm to US personnel and that Iranian claims of damaging the 5th Fleet headquarters in Bahrain were false.
US strike and counter-strike
The barrage came hours after the US military said it had shot down four Iranian drones launched toward the Strait of Hormuz and struck Iranian coastal surveillance radar sites at Goruk and on Qeshm Island. Centcom said the drones “posed an immediate threat to regional maritime traffic” and that the strikes on the radar installations were carried out to “defend against further attacks”. The US military is enforcing a blockade on Iranian ports in response to Tehran’s chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz — a critical corridor for global oil and natural gas shipments — which has sent energy prices soaring.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they had targeted “enemy bases” in the Gulf after the US strikes on Sirik and Qeshm Island. The attacks follow a drone strike on Kuwait International Airport on 3 June that killed one person and wounded 63, causing substantial damage and briefly halting operations. Kuwait blamed Iran for that attack, releasing CCTV footage as evidence; Iran denied responsibility, claiming the damage was caused by a US interceptor missile — a claim rejected by Centcom.
Wider humanitarian and economic toll
The World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that the knock-on effects of the Iran war are pushing millions into hunger, primarily due to soaring energy and food prices. In analysis published on Thursday, the WFP found that 2.5 million people in Somalia, 2.3 million in Afghanistan and 1.3 million in Sri Lanka were struggling to meet basic food needs because of rising prices. The WFP predicted that 45 million people could be pushed into food insecurity by June, and said the effects of the conflict would intensify in the coming months even if the war ended.
The conflict has also disrupted global markets. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has predicted oil prices could drop quickly if a deal is finalised, and threatened Oman if it helped impose a tolling system in the Strait of Hormuz. The US is advancing a new UN Security Council resolution targeting Iran’s actions in the waterway. Bahrain’s Foreign Ministry has stated that the attacks violated UN Security Council Resolution 2817. The Gulf Cooperation Council condemned the strikes as an “unacceptable escalation” and a threat to regional and international peace, with Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon expressing solidarity with Kuwait and Bahrain.
Diplomatic impasse and domestic pressure
The back-and-forth attacks have strained the tenuous ceasefire that took effect on 8 April between Iran and the US, and complicated efforts to reach a deal to extend the truce by 60 days and open a new round of talks on Iran’s nuclear programme. US and Iranian negotiators reached a tentative agreement on 28 May, but it requires final approval from President Donald Trump. Vice President JD Vance confirmed the tentative deal but noted Trump’s approval was uncertain.
Trump told reporters on Friday that “the situation with Iran seems to be going quite well”. Speaking at an event with farmers in Wisconsin, he said: “We’re going to come out of Iran very quickly and it’s going to be very strong one way or the other, whether it’s a piece of paper or the very tough way. Your fertiliser prices are going to go way down, just like they were four months ago.” Trump is under pressure to find a way out of the war, which has shocked markets and proven unpopular at home as midterm elections loom. He told NBC that the negotiations were taking time because it was “a very hard thing” for Iran, citing its “great independence”. “There are things they never thought they’d be doing that they’re going to have to do. They’ve got no choice, and it takes a little while,” he said.
Trump has also claimed that Iran still has a significant portion of its missile arsenal. He told NBC: “They still have capacity. They have some missiles, they have some drones. I would say, percentage wise, maybe 21, 22% of their missiles.” That figure is higher than the 18% he gave last month, despite his frequent claims to have completely destroyed Iran’s ability to wage war.
Lebanon front complicates truce efforts
The fighting in Lebanon, where Israeli forces have seized large swaths of the south, also threatens efforts to end the Iran war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has demanded that any lasting truce extend to Lebanon. The Israeli military on Friday struck multiple parts of southern Lebanon and issued evacuation warnings to villages, including one sheltering thousands of displaced people. The strikes came after the US brokered a ceasefire between Israel and the Lebanese government, but Hezbollah — which was not party to the talks — rejected the agreement, demanding a full Israeli withdrawal. Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem denounced the deal as a “farce” and said the group would continue to resist as long as there is an occupation. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered troops to deepen their invasion of southern Lebanon and accused Iran of “playing with fire”.
