Iran launched drone and missile attacks targeting Bahrain and Kuwait on Sunday, following new U.S. airstrikes against the Islamic Republic. Tehran also threatened a complete halt to ongoing negotiations if Washington continues its military actions, according to a report from Dubai.
The exchanges of fire began when an Iranian drone struck a merchant vessel off Oman on Thursday, prompting retaliatory U.S. strikes. The U.S. military stated it struck Iranian military surveillance infrastructure, communication systems, air defense sites, drone storage facilities, and minelayer capabilities. The targeted vessel was the Panamanian-flagged tanker Kiku, which was carrying crude oil for Qatar's state-run energy company.
Kuwait reported that its air defenses intercepted Iranian drones and two missiles shortly after the U.S. strikes. No injuries or damage were reported in Kuwait, which hosts a major U.S. military base. In Bahrain, the strikes damaged a residential building near the international airport, though no casualties were reported. Bahrain is home to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet, but the damaged building was not located near its headquarters.
Bahrain's Foreign Ministry denounced the actions as "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."
Separately, Qatar reported that a civilian was killed and another injured by shrapnel related to "military operations in the area" after a vessel failed to return at its scheduled time on Saturday. Details were not provided.
U.S. President Donald Trump, in a social media post, accused Iran of violating a recent deal and warned that the U.S. "may be forced to militarily complete the job," adding, "If that happens, the Islamic Republic of Iran will no longer exist!"
Negotiations aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz without Iran's oversight have been ongoing. A multinational maritime body overseen by the U.S. Navy stated that efforts to expand a route near Oman for inbound and outbound traffic have sparked days of crossfire. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reiterated Iran's position that it must govern the strait, which once carried a fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas. He warned that any attempt to establish new arrangements would "only lead to further complications, delay the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and increase the level of tension."
The Strait of Hormuz is considered an international waterway despite its location within Iran and Oman's territorial waters. Iran has twice attacked vessels traversing a route near the Omani side in recent days.
Pakistan, acting as a mediator, had indicated that talks would resume Tuesday between the U.S. and Iran regarding their interim deal. The Trump administration, however, stated on Sunday that no agreements had been canceled and that technical talks were still on track for the coming days.
Discussions are reportedly focused on arrangements surrounding the strait, the lifting of a U.S. blockade on Iranian ports, sanctions on Iran, and the future of Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium. The two sides have a 60-day period from the signing of a memorandum of understanding earlier this month to finalize these details.
International conflict in Lebanon also poses a threat to the agreement, which stipulates that fighting must cease on all fronts before certain issues can be addressed.
Regarding the conflict in Lebanon, Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah have been engaged in recent fighting. Israel and Lebanon signed a framework agreement last week to end the latest hostilities, which began after Hezbollah fired at Israel. Israel responded with an invasion of southern Lebanon, stating it would not withdraw until Hezbollah is disarmed. This agreement did not include Iran or Hezbollah, which has criticized and rejected calls to disarm.
Iran's foreign minister has stated that the U.S. must compel Israel to halt its attacks and withdraw from southern Lebanon. Israel occupies approximately 600 square kilometers in southern Lebanon, which it claims is necessary for a security buffer.
Sporadic clashes have continued, with Hezbollah's leader stating on Saturday that the group would persist in fighting until Israel withdraws. Iran's state broadcaster reported that Iranian negotiator and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said Sunday that a meeting of a new "conflict control unit" formed among Iran, the United States, and Lebanon should convene as soon as possible.
On Sunday morning, two strikes hit southern Lebanon, in the towns of Taybeh and Nabatiyeh, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency. No immediate casualties were reported. The previous night, Hezbollah militants killed an Israeli soldier in the village of Deir Siryan in southern Lebanon, according to Israel's military.
In Syria, Israel's military conducted artillery shelling on the village of Abdin in Daraa province on Sunday evening, Syrian state media reported, with no immediate casualty reports. The provincial government of Daraa stated that residents had thrown rocks at an Israeli convoy advancing on the village, leading to the troops' withdrawal after intervention by U.N. peacekeepers. Residents of Abdin were reported to have fled the village following the shelling.
Earlier on Sunday, Israel's military announced it had killed several armed men in southern Syria without providing further details. Syrian officials have not commented on this report.
Israel took control of a U.N.-patrolled buffer zone in southern Syria in December 2024, following an insurgent offensive that ousted former Syrian President Bashar Assad. While initially described as temporary, Israeli officials have more recently indicated plans to occupy the zone indefinitely.