Iran targets Bahrain and Kuwait after renewed US strikes

The attacks drew a furious response from Gulf monarchies and further undermined a fragile truce.

TEHRAN – Iran launched a salvo of missiles at US allies Bahrain and Kuwait on June 6, drawing a furious response from the Gulf monarchies and further undermining a fragile truce.

Weeks of indirect talks marked by tit-for-tat threats and sporadic strikes have failed to secure a deal to end the Middle East war or reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for Gulf oil and gas shipments.

On June 6, the island kingdom of Bahrain, which hosts the headquarters of the US Fifth Fleet, denounced the latest attacks against its territory and Kuwait.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) said Iran had launched seven ballistic missiles towards the countries, but that six had been intercepted, and one had fallen short.

Manama described the attacks, the second against both nations in three days, as “blatant aggression” and “a flagrant violation of the sovereignty of both countries”.

Kuwait’s Foreign Ministry warned that the Iranian attacks “represent a dangerous escalation” and a direct threat to the “lives of citizens and residents”.

In the Bahrain capital, an AFP journalist heard three explosions as air raid sirens sounded.

In Kuwait, another AFP journalist heard repeated blasts near the country’s international airport, which had been struck on June 3 in an attack blamed on Iran that killed one person.

“We woke up to a huge explosion. The explosions were very loud,” Reem, an Egyptian mother of two, told AFP, after the latest blasts. “My children were terrified, and I couldn’t calm them down.”

Formally, a ceasefire in the war, which was triggered almost 100 days ago by US and Israeli strikes that wiped out Iran’s top leadership, has been in place since April 8.

But tensions rose on June 5, when the US military said it struck radar sites in Iran after downing drones headed towards the strait.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said early on June 6 they had targeted “enemy bases in the area” with missiles in response to a US operation targeting the country’s Sirik and Qeshm islands.

“There are currently no reports of harm to US personnel, and Iranian claims of damaging US 5th fleet headquarters in Bahrain are false,” CENTCOM said in a statement.

The latest flare-up came despite the United States moving ahead with allowing Iran’s national football team to travel to the FIFA World Cup, which it is co-hosting with Canada and Mexico.

US Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack confirmed the visa issuances, saying that “sports transcends borders, and we look forward to welcoming competitor