Iran Launches Drone And Missile Attacks On Bahrain And Kuwait, Threatens Complete Halt In Talks

Iran launched drone and missile attacks targeting Bahrain and Kuwait on Sunday after new U.S. airstrikes against the Islamic Republic, and threatened a “complete halt” in negotiations to end the war if Washington continues its attacks.

The crossfire has been driven by efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz without Iran’s oversight, with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi saying, “Any attempt to establish new or separate arrangements from those currently being carried out by the Islamic Republic of Iran will only lead to further complications, delay the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and increase the level of tension.”

ABC News

The U.S. and Iran have 60 days from their signing of the memorandum of understanding earlier this month to work out details, and the Trump administration said technical talks are on track for the coming days.

The U.S. military said it struck Iranian military “surveillance infrastructure, communication systems, air defense sites, drone storage facilities and minelayer capabilities” following an attack on a ship in the Strait of Hormuz.

Oil futures rose slightly Sunday as US-Iran hostilities continued for a fourth consecutive day, with Brent crude rising 0.9% to $72.20 a barrel and US crude climbing 1.3%, to $70.09 a barrel.

Bahrain said the Iranian strikes damaged a residential building near the international airport and no one was killed, while its Foreign Ministry denounced what it called “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.”

Kuwait said air defenses intercepted Iranian drones and two missiles just after the U.S. strikes, and there were no reports of injuries or damage, according to the AP.

Al Jazeera

The Hill reported that Kuwait’s military said it detected and intercepted two ballistic missiles and that strikes in Bahrain destroyed the top floor of an 8-story building near the airport, with no deaths reported.

In Washington, President Donald Trump accused Iran of violating the ceasefire agreement in the MOU, writing, “United States aircraft just struck Iranian missile and drone storage locations, and coastal radar sites, for violating the Cease Fire Agreement, AGAIN!”

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed responsibility for the Gulf state attacks and said any more U.S. strikes “will result in the complete halt of all diplomatic processes.”

The memorandum of understanding also ties the ceasefire to fighting in Lebanon, where the AP said continued conflict threatens the agreement because it says fighting must end on all fronts before certain issues can be discussed.

Iran said a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon must be part of a final deal with the U.S., as fighting with Hezbollah further strains peace efforts, and CNN reported that Iran warned ceasefire violations would “result in the complete halt of all diplomatic processes.”

The U.S. and Iran agreed to meet in Doha, Qatar, on Tuesday for further discussions, according to CNN, as technical talks regarding the US-Iran memorandum of understanding remained “on track.”

In the Strait of Hormuz, the interim agreement has not been reflected in the waterway, CNN said, and it reported that oil tanker traffic increased after the signing of the agreement on June 17 but later slowed after Iran struck a vessel in the strait on Thursday.

Al Jazeera’s Resul Serdar Atas said the Strait of Hormuz is “almost the only leverage that Iran has in the ongoing negotiations,” framing the dispute as a dilemma for both sides as the ceasefire falters.