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Iran launched another wave of drone and missile attacks Sunday targeting Bahrain and Kuwait following new U.S. airstrikes, while warning it could completely suspend negotiations with Washington if American military operations continue.
The latest escalation threatens a fragile diplomatic framework aimed at ending months of conflict and reopening the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, a waterway through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas typically passes.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran would not accept efforts to reopen the shipping corridor without Iranian oversight.
“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 Sunday.
His comments came as Pakistan, which has served as a key intermediary between Washington and Tehran, said negotiations are scheduled to resume Tuesday. Trump administration officials insisted technical talks remain on schedule despite the renewed violence.
Strikes target Gulf states hosting U.S. forces
Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard claimed responsibility for attacks targeting Bahrain and Kuwait, both longtime U.S. security partners that host major American military installations.
Kuwaiti officials said air defenses intercepted Iranian drones and two missiles shortly after U.S. strikes inside Iran. Authorities reported no injuries or property damage.
In Bahrain, officials said an Iranian strike damaged a residential building near the country’s international airport. No fatalities were reported. Bahrain hosts the headquarters of the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet, although officials said the damaged structure was not located near the naval installation.
Qatar later announced that one civilian was killed and another injured by shrapnel connected to regional military operations after a vessel failed to return as scheduled Saturday.
Bahrain’s Foreign Ministry condemned what it described as a deliberate escalation by Tehran.
Strait of Hormuz dispute complicates negotiations
The renewed violence follows a memorandum of understanding signed earlier this month between the United States and Iran intended to restore commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz after months of conflict severely disrupted maritime traffic.
Under the interim agreement, Iran agreed to use its “best efforts” to provide safe passage through the strait for 60 days while broader negotiations continue over sanctions relief, maritime security and Iran’s nuclear program.
However, disputes over navigation routes have intensified.
A multinational maritime coalition overseen by the U.S. Navy announced Saturday it would expand shipping routes near Oman’s coastline, while Iran insists vessels obtain permission from Tehran and follow routes closer to Iranian territorial waters.
Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority warned Thursday that ships using routes outside its approved framework would lose safe-passage guarantees and insurance protections.
Despite those tensions, maritime officials reported that commercial traffic has increased significantly in recent days.
The multinational coalition said Sunday that 89 U.S.-assisted commercial transits had successfully passed through the strait over the previous 72 hours without interruption, although that remains below the historical daily average of roughly 138 vessels.
Trump warns Iran against violating agreement
President Donald Trump accused Iran of violating the temporary agreement and warned of further military action if attacks continue.
“If that happens, the Islamic Republic of Iran will no longer exist!” Trump wrote on social media.
The latest exchange of fire began Thursday after an Iranian drone struck a merchant vessel near Oman. The U.S. military responded Saturday with strikes targeting Iranian surveillance infrastructure, communications systems, air defense sites, drone storage facilities and naval minelayer capabilities.
The Pentagon said the operation followed an attack on the Panamanian-flagged oil tanker Kiku, which was transporting crude oil for Qatar’s state energy company.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said earlier Thursday that the administration would judge Iran based on its actions rather than its rhetoric.
“If ships are moving as they should be moving, then that’s what we’re going to judge,” Rubio said during a visit to Bahrain.
Fighting in Lebanon and Syria adds pressure
Diplomatic efforts also face complications from continued violence involving Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Although Israel and Lebanon signed a framework agreement last week intended to end months of fighting, Hezbollah has rejected calls to disarm and continues attacking Israeli forces in southern Lebanon.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf called Sunday for a new “conflict control unit” involving Iran, Lebanon and the United States to help manage the crisis.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces carried out artillery strikes in southern Syria after residents reportedly confronted an Israeli military convoy. Syrian officials said U.N. peacekeepers helped de-escalate the confrontation.
U.S. and Iranian negotiators remain under a 60-day deadline established by their interim agreement to finalize arrangements governing maritime security, sanctions relief, Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile and broader regional stability.
The renewed attacks on Gulf states and commercial shipping raise new doubts about whether both sides can preserve the diplomatic process while military operations continue across multiple fronts.
