Iran launches drone strikes on Bahrain, Kuwait amid US tensions
Iran launched fresh drone and missile strikes on Bahrain and Kuwait after US airstrikes, escalating tensions over control of the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran warned of halting negotiations if Washington continues its attacks, while Gulf states hosting US military bases reported intercepted missiles and minor damage.
Dubai: Iran again launched drone and missile attacks targeting Bahrain and Kuwait on Sunday following new US airstrikes against the Islamic Republic, and threatened a “complete halt” in negotiations to end the war if Washington continues its attacks.
Efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz without Iran’s oversight has sparked days of crossfire. A multinational maritime body overseen by the US Navy said Saturday it would expand a route near Oman for inbound and outbound traffic, setting up a new flashpoint with Tehran.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reiterated the claim on Sunday that Tehran alone must govern the strait, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf that once carried a fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas.
“Any attempt to establish new or separate arrangements from those currently being carried out by the Islamic Republic of Iran will only lead to further complications, delay the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and increase the level of tension,” Araghchi said.
The global community has long considered the strait an international waterway, despite its location in Iran and Oman’s territorial waters. In recent days, Iran has twice attacked vessels going through a route on the Omani side during an evacuation effort backed by a United Nations agency.
The United States and Iran have been discussing the terms of an interim deal, including arrangements on the strait, the removal of a US blockade on Iranian ports and sanctions on Iran, and the future of Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium. Under the memorandum of understanding signed this month, they have 60 days from that signing to work out details.
Pakistan, a key mediator, earlier said talks would resume Tuesday.
The interim deal is meant to end fighting on all fronts before certain key issues can be discussed. Continued fighting in Lebanon, where an Israeli soldier was killed by Hezbollah fire early Sunday, also threatens the agreement.
Strikes target Gulf states hosting US military
Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard claimed responsibility for the attacks in Bahrain and Kuwait.
Kuwait, which hosts a major US military base, said air defences intercepted Iranian drones and two missiles just after the US strikes in Iran. There were no reports of injuries or damage.
Bahrain said the Iranian strikes damaged a residential building near the international airport and no one was killed. Bahrain is home to the US Navy’s 5th Fleet. The damaged building was not near its headquarters.
Bahrain’s Foreign Ministry denounced what it called “a dangerous escalation that reveals that what Tehran is doing is not a passing act, nor an isolated incident, but rather a deliberate approach and a systematic pattern of repeated aggression.”
Later on Sunday, Qatar said a civilian had been killed, and another person was hurt, by shrapnel related to “military operations in the area” after a vessel didn’t return at its scheduled time on Saturday. The statement did not give details.
