U.S. Forces Intercept Iranian Missiles and Drones Toward Kuwait and Bahrain

U.S. forces shot down Iranian missiles and drones launched toward the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf Arab allies, with The Media Line citing U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) saying Iran fired seven ballistic missiles toward Kuwait and Bahrain after four one-way attack drones were shot down.

AP reported that Iran fired ballistic missiles and drones toward Bahrain and Kuwait that were intercepted early Saturday, and that Iran called the exchange a ceasefire violation after the U.S. attacked surveillance facilities on Qeshm Island and near Sirik.

ABC News

CENTCOM said six of the missiles were intercepted and the seventh failed to reach its intended target, while AP said Bahrain’s government reported the intercepts and called on Tehran to halt attacks on Gulf neighbors.

The Media Line added that CENTCOM said the drones intercepted over the Strait of Hormuz represented an immediate danger to maritime activity, and that U.S. forces targeted Iranian surveillance radar installations in Goruk and on Qeshm Island to defend against further maritime attacks.

In Bahrain and Kuwait, governments framed the attack as a threat to sovereignty and security, with NBC News quoting Kuwait’s foreign ministry calling the strikes a “serious escalation” and a “flagrant violation of its sovereignty.”

NBC News also reported that Bahrain activated air raid sirens and told residents to move to the nearest safe location, while Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said it targeted the Ali Al Salem air base and the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet in Bahrain, according to state-run IRNA.

Al Jazeera

The Media Line said CENTCOM rejected Iranian claims about hitting American military facilities in the Gulf, quoting CENTCOM: “Iranian claims of damaging US 5th fleet headquarters in Bahrain are false,” and it added that CENTCOM said the drones represented an immediate danger to maritime activity.

AP described the diplomatic backdrop as the Trump administration presses Iran to make a deal to end the war, and it said Pakistan’s interior minister, Mohsin Naqvi, arrived in Iran on Saturday as part of mediation efforts.

The exchange came as U.S. and Iranian negotiators had reached a tentative agreement one week earlier to extend the ceasefire by 60 days and start a new round of talks on Iran’s nuclear program, but AP said Trump has called for unspecified changes and Iranian officials showed no public sign of agreeing.

AP reported that the U.S. Treasury Department is considering allowing Gulf allies to tap into frozen Iranian assets to pay for damages sustained in the war, and it quoted a senior fellow, Miad Maleki, saying the U.S. was signaling it could take funds from Iran and help Gulf states to take it.

The Media Line said discussions over a possible agreement between Washington and Tehran continued amid ongoing tensions, and it reported that a senior Iranian official told CNN that any prospective agreement would depend on the Trump administration releasing $24 billion in frozen Iranian assets.

NBC News added that the U.S. is enforcing a blockade on Iranian ports in response to Tehran’s grip on the corridor for global oil and natural gas shipments, and it said energy prices have spiked while the conflict threatens political problems for President Donald Trump’s Republican Party ahead of the midterm congressional elections.