The Gulf states of Bahrain and Kuwait reported Iranian strikes on their territory on 28 June, after Iran and the United States had exchanged accusations of breaching peace agreements.
According to the Bahrain Armed Forces, they “intercepted and destroyed several projectiles used in these treacherous Iranian attacks” and are on high alert.
Bahrain subsequently reported damage to a residential building; there were no fatalities.
The country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the strike as a “dangerous escalation” and held Iran entirely responsible for undermining efforts to resolve the conflict.
Kuwait’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs “condemned in the strongest possible terms the recurrence of Iran’s appalling aggression”, describing the strikes as a violation of its sovereignty.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed to have attacked US military facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait, asserting that the infrastructure at both bases had been destroyed.
For its part, US Central Command (CENTCOM) reported new strikes on the night of 28 June against “storage sites for Iranian missiles and drones, as well as coastal radar installations”. The military described this as a response to an attack by an Iranian drone on a commercial vessel in the Strait of Hormuz.
Thus, for the second night running, US forces carried out strikes on targets in Iran in response to Tehran’s ‘aggression’ against commercial shipping. The military also reported strikes on Iranian targets the previous night.
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US President Donald Trump, commenting on the strikes, threatened to destroy the Islamic Republic:
‘There may come a time when we can no longer be prudent and will be forced to use military force to complete the work we have so successfully begun. If that happens, the Islamic Republic of Iran will cease to exist!’
On the night of 28 June, the Quds Force stated that between 2 and 3 am it had launched missiles and drones at US-linked targets as part of retaliatory strikes.
In its statement, the Corps said that its forces had “destroyed eight key US military targets at the Ali al-Salem base in Kuwait and at the Fifth Fleet naval base in Port Salman, Bahrain”.
These reports could not be independently verified.
“Any hostile aggression, regardless of the pretext, even against insignificant targets… will be met with a crushing response,” the statement added.
Iran’s military leadership also warned that any breaches of the ceasefire agreement would “completely halt all ongoing diplomatic processes”.
Previous strikes
The day before, CENTCOM had announced strikes on Iranian surveillance infrastructure, allegedly in response to an attack on the Panamanian-flagged vessel Kiku near the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian media reported that explosions were heard in the southern coastal region of Sirik, which has been repeatedly targeted by US forces in recent weeks.
On 27 June, Iran accused the US of violating the peace agreement that had brought an end to their recent conflict, after US forces carried out strikes on Iranian military targets on 26 June.
A senior US official told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty that during the mission on 26 June, six US aircraft struck four targets in Iran, including radar installations and a depot for missiles and drones in the coastal area of Sirik.
The exchange of strikes took place a few days after the entry into force of a framework agreement between Tehran and Washington, which had eased tensions following months of conflict triggered by US and Israeli strikes on Iran.
Iran and the US intend to resume technical talks in Switzerland following the signing of a memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the war in Iran and across the Middle East, including Lebanon.