Iran strikes Bahrain, Kuwait, threatens to halt talks after US airstrikes

Iran carried out fresh drone and missile attacks against Bahrain and Kuwait on Sunday, following new US airstrikes on the Islamic Republic, and threatened a “complete halt” in negotiations to end the war if Washington continues its attacks.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reiterated that Tehran must control the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway that once carried a fifth of the world’s oil and gas. A multinational maritime body overseen by the US Navy said Saturday it would expand a route near Oman for traffic. Araghchi warned that any new or separate arrangements would only complicate matters and delay the strait’s reopening.

Pakistan, a key mediator, said talks between the US and Iran would resume Tuesday on the terms of their interim deal. The Trump administration said nothing has been cancelled and technical talks are on track. The discussions cover the strait regime, lifting a US blockade on Iranian ports and sanctions, and the future of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile. The sides signed a memorandum earlier this month and have 60 days to work out details.

Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard claimed responsibility for the attacks in Bahrain and Kuwait. Kuwait, which hosts a major US military base, said its air defenses intercepted Iranian drones and two missiles just after the US strikes in Iran. No injuries or damage were reported. Bahrain said Iranian strikes damaged a residential building near the international airport; no one was killed. Bahrain hosts the US Navy’s 5th Fleet.

Bahrain’s Foreign Ministry condemned “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.” Qatar said a civilian was killed and another wounded by shrapnel related to military operations in the area.

The US military said it struck Iranian “surveillance infrastructure, communication systems, air defence sites, drone storage facilities and minelayer capabilities” following an attack on a ship on Saturday. US President Donald Trump on social media accused Iran of violating the deal and warned that the US may “be forced to militarily complete the job,” adding that if that happens, “the Islamic Republic of Iran will no longer exist!”

The exchange began Thursday when an Iranian drone struck a merchant vessel off Oman, and the US military retaliated. Ship traffic through the strait increased over the past 72 hours but remained below the historical average of 138 vessels per day.

Last week, Israel and Lebanon signed a framework agreement to end fighting with Hezbollah, but it does not include Iran or Hezbollah. Iran’s foreign minister again demanded the US force Israel to halt attacks and withdraw. Israel occupies about 600 square kilometers in southern Lebanon as a security buffer. Hezbollah’s leader said Saturday the group would continue fighting until Israel withdraws. Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf called for a meeting of a new “conflict control unit” involving Iran, the US, and Lebanon.

Two strikes hit southern Lebanon on Sunday. Hezbollah militants killed an Israeli soldier overnight. Israel shelled Abdin village in southern Syria, prompting residents to flee. Israel seized a UN-patrolled buffer zone in southern Syria in December 2024, initially calling it temporary but now planning indefinite occupation.