Less than two weeks after the interim peace agreement between the United States and Iran was signed, the fragile truce is showing signs of strain as both sides traded strikes targeting military infrastructure overnight on Saturday into Sunday.
Tensions escalated over the weekend as the U.S. bombed Iran for a second day late Saturday before Tehran launched retaliatory attacks on U.S. forces in Bahrain and Kuwait on Sunday.
Iranian Attacks on Kuwait and Bahrain
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it targeted U.S. military sites at the Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait and the U.S. navy's Fifth Fleet naval base in Salman Port, Bahrain. Kuwait's military said it intercepted Iranian drones and two ballistic missiles, while Bahrain's Interior Ministry said strikes hit a residential building near the airport, but reported no deaths.
The tit-for-tat attacks began Thursday with Tehran striking a Singapore-flagged cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz, prompting Washington to hit Iran the following day.
Interim Agreement Violated
A 14-point memorandum of understanding signed by the U.S. and Iran called on both sides to extend a pause on all hostilities for 60 days and restore unrestricted shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for commercial vessels carrying 20% of the world's oil supply before the war. The IRGC claimed that the agreement gives Iran control of the shipping traffic of the strait. Both sides have accused the other of breaching the ceasefire agreement.
Persian Gulf States Respond
Iran's attacks on Kuwait and Bahrain were condemned in statements released by both countries on Sunday. Kuwait's Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the renewed Iranian attacks a “flagrant violation of its sovereignty, and a direct threat to its security, stability and the safety of its citizens and residents on its territory.” It also said the attacks were a “clear violation of the rules of international law and the Charter of the United Nations.” Bahrain's Foreign Ministry also released a statement echoing Kuwait's sentiment, describing the attacks as a “flagrant threat to the security of citizens and residents.” Their neighbours Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Oman also condemned the attacks, according to Al Jazeera.
IRGC Takes Responsibility
Tehran called the U.S. military's airstrikes late Saturday a “clear violation” of the interim agreement signed by both countries. “This once again demonstrates that the U.S. regime places no value on its commitments and that breaking promises is part of this regime's nature,” a statement from the Iranian Foreign Ministry said, per CNN. The IRGC took responsibility for the attacks targeting U.S. military facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait. The IRGC also warned that more U.S. strikes would result “in the complete halt of all diplomatic processes.”
U.S. Military Response
In a post on X late Saturday, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said the U.S. navy and air force fighter jets hit “10 Iranian military targets at multiple locations in and near the Strait of Hormuz” in response to Iran's drone attack on the Panama-flagged crude oil tanker M/T Kiku. In a statement released Saturday, CENTCOM said the U.S. military “targeted Iranian military surveillance infrastructure, communication systems, air defence sites, drone storage facilities and minelayer capabilities.” It added that “Commercial vessel transits through the Strait of Hormuz continue. U.S. forces remain vigilant, lethal, and ready.”
Accusing Iran of violating the ceasefire agreement, U.S. President Donald Trump threatened more military action. “It is very possible that they will never learn! There may come a point when we are no longer able to be reasonable, and will be forced to militarily complete the job that we very successfully started. If that happens, the Islamic Republic of Iran will no longer exist!” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social on Saturday.
