Iran Strikes Qeshm Island and Kuwait Border Posts as US Demands Strait of Hormuz Remain Open

Fresh attacks hit Iran and Kuwait as Tehran and Washington squared off over the Strait of Hormuz, with contradicting statements about whether the waterway was open to traffic.

“US and Iranian forces have exchanged heavy missile and drone assaults, with Iran targeting US facilities in countries across the Gulf and saying it has again closed the vital Strait of Hormuz”

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Iran reported strikes on two of its southern islands, while Kuwait said border posts and an offshore oil platform had been attacked.

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The as-yet unclaimed strikes came hours after Tehran and Washington exchanged fire for the third time this week, with control of Hormuz again central to negotiations aimed at building on a preliminary deal and ending the war.

The exchanges earlier in the day were prompted by an Iranian attack on a commercial ship in the waterway whose crew was forced to abandon it after it went up in flames, and Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said the Strait of Hormuz would be closed until further notice.

The US military’s Central Command countered on X that the strait was "open to all vessels seeking to lawfully transit" and said "Traffic is flowing."

US President Donald Trump told CNN that "we hit them very hard last night," maintaining the two sides had been close to a deal on Saturday.

In a separate account, Trump told NBC's Meet the Press that "They agreed to a deal yesterday - a perfect deal for us" before Iran fired a drone at a ship.

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UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged the United States and Iran to halt their new outbreak of fighting, with his spokesman Stephane Dujarric saying, "These attacks must stop."

The BBC reported that the renewed fire jeopardized an interim ceasefire agreement signed last month, and it quoted Centcom saying the IRGC "blatantly attacked" a Cyprus-flagged vessel that was "unable to continue its journey" due to damage to the engine room.

The BBC also reported that Iran’s IRNA said missiles were launched by the "enemy" towards Qeshm Island, and that the renewed fire put the interim ceasefire agreement in jeopardy.

The renewed violence casts further doubt on the future of an interim US-Iranian agreement signed last month, which aimed to reopen the strait and end the war after a further 60 days of negotiations.

Iran’s recently created Persian Gulf Strait Authority said passage through the strait was not currently possible due to "recent illegal movements of the United States military forces in the region," and it said permits would be issued "as soon as stability and calm are restored,".

The US said its forces were positioned to safeguard freedom of navigation despite what it described as "aggression, harassment, threats, and arbitrary declarations" from Iran, and it reiterated: "Iran does not control the strait. Traffic is flowing,".

In the BBC’s account, the latest hostilities were sparked after the IRGC said it had fired a naval cruise missile at a vessel attempting to sail along an unapproved route, and Centcom said the IRGC "blatantly attacked" a Cyprus-flagged vessel.

CBS News added that an Iranian delegation traveled to Oman earlier Saturday to continue negotiations via mediators, despite a with the U.S. that derailed the truce agreed to under the mid-June memorandum of understanding signed by President Trump and his Iranian counterpart.