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Iran launched missiles and drones at eight U.S. military sites in Kuwait and Bahrain early Sunday in another round of exchanges, hours after the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced "additional strikes" on Iranian military infrastructure following Friday's campaign.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said its naval and aerospace forces launched the operation between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. local time, calling it a "decisive" response to recent American attacks.
Kuwait announced that its air defense systems intercepted hostile missiles and drones, with the military attributing explosions heard across parts of the country to the interceptions. In Bahrain, authorities activated emergency sirens and urged residents to stay calm while moving to the nearest safe location.
According to the IRGC, the strikes targeted Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait and the headquarters of the U.S. Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, along with other military facilities.
The group maintained the operation came after U.S. forces struck five Iranian coastal positions earlier Sunday, which it described as attacks carried out under the pretext of responding to an Iranian operation against a "violating vessel."
The IRGC also claimed navigation in the Strait of Hormuz is coordinated with Iran under the Islamabad Memorandum signed between the U.S. and Iran, which calls for Tehran to work with Oman and other Gulf littoral states on the Strait's future administration.
It warned that any further attacks by the "enemy" would prompt a "crushing response" and said any violation of the ceasefire would halt all ongoing processes under the memorandum.
Friday's U.S. strikes targeted Iranian missile and drone storage facilities as well as coastal radar sites after Washington blamed Tehran for a one-way drone attack on the Singapore-flagged cargo ship M/V Ever Lovely while it was transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
CENTCOM described the operation as a "powerful response" and accused Iran of violating the ceasefire by attacking commercial shipping.
Explosions were reported again in southern Iran on Saturday, including Sirik and Qeshm Island, where Iranian media said projectiles struck a telecommunications tower in Tahrouyi village.
Shortly afterward, the U.S. military's Central Command (CENTCOM) announced additional strikes on military targets across Iran, saying American forces hit surveillance and communications infrastructure, air defense systems, drone storage facilities, and minelayer capabilities.
CENTCOM said the latest operation was carried out on Saturday after Iran targeted another commercial vessel. According to the command, a one-way attack drone struck the Panama-flagged tanker M/T Kiku as it transited the Strait of Hormuz carrying more than 2 million barrels of crude oil.
The command argued Tehran had failed to uphold the ceasefire and instead continued attacking commercial shipping.
"CENTCOM forces launched strikes today in direct response to continued Iranian aggression against commercial shipping," the command said, adding that U.S. forces "remain vigilant, lethal, and ready" as commercial traffic continues through the Strait of Hormuz.
U.S. President Donald Trump warned that Washington could launch more military action following the latest exchange.
"United States aircraft just struck Iranian missile and drone storage locations, and coastal radar sites, for violating the Cease Fire Agreement, AGAIN!" Trump wrote on Truth Social. "It is very possible that they will never learn!"
He added that the U.S. could reach a point where it is "no longer able to be reasonable" and may be "forced to militarily complete the job that we very successfully started." "If that happens, the Islamic Republic of Iran will no longer exist!"
The Islamabad Memorandum, brokered by Pakistan and signed on June 18, called for a ceasefire, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping, the lifting of the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports, and a 60-day negotiating period on unresolved issues.
Under the framework, Iran was to ensure safe passage through the waterway during the initial period before future arrangements with Oman were negotiated.
Tehran, however, maintains that it has the right to oversee navigation through the strategic waterway and has argued that future transit arrangements should be coordinated with Oman after the 60 days.
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