Iran fired drones at U.S. Gulf allies Kuwait and Bahrain after renewed American strikes ended a monthlong lull, while allied defenses intercepted the barrage and Trump warned Tehran of a heavier response.
Iran launched drone attacks at American allies Kuwait and Bahrain early Wednesday in retaliation for renewed U.S. strikes on Iranian military targets, shattering a monthlong lull in the fight over the Strait of Hormuz. A strike sparked a blaze at a residential complex in Kuwait City at dawn, and Bahrain said its air defenses intercepted incoming fire from Tehran.
The attacks mark a dangerous new phase: rather than targeting American bases directly, Tehran turned its fire on the Gulf states that host U.S. forces. Defenses held across the region, but the escalation raises fresh questions about how a war that has already pushed oil prices above $95 a barrel ends.
U.S. Central Command said Tuesday's strikes focused on Iranian military targets, including air defense sites, radar systems and maritime assets. They were the second round of American action in as many days, following Sunday's strike on Iranian rocket launchers on an island in the Strait of Hormuz, which Washington said Tehran planned to use to shoot mines into the waterway.
Iran answered that first round by firing missiles at American bases in Jordan, all of which were intercepted. President Trump told Fox News the latest strikes took out radar systems Iran had been trying to rebuild. "We waited until it was almost built and then we hit it," he said.
Kuwait's government communications center said a fire broke out at a residential complex in the capital after it was hit by an Iranian drone at dawn, and that the blaze had been contained with no casualties. Bahrain, which hosts a major U.S. naval base, accused Iran of "attacks targeting civilians" and said its air defenses intercepted the incoming fire.
Iranian state media claimed the military launched drone attacks on U.S. bases in Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. The UAE said Monday it had intercepted an Iranian drone over its waters. In Iraq, Kurdistan's Counter-Terrorism Directorate reported intercepting 10 explosive-laden drones in the Irbil area, where Iranian television claimed American bases had been targeted. Israel's military also said Hezbollah fired two explosive drones at its soldiers in southern Lebanon, with no casualties reported.
Iranian state media claimed one U.S. strike hit a home hosting a wedding in Kuhestak, a small coastal town overlooking the Strait of Hormuz, killing four people and wounding dozens. The U.S. military said it was aware of the report but that it "never targets civilians."
The claim fits a familiar pattern from Tehran, which has repeatedly sought to spin battlefield losses into propaganda victories as the pressure mounts. Iranian officials have offered shifting casualty figures, and state outlets have a long history of exaggerating or fabricating civilian tolls for political effect.
The war began Feb. 28 when Israel and the United States attacked Iran, prompting Tehran to largely shut down the Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of the world's traded oil once flowed. Only a handful of ships now make the passage each day, and Iran has regularly attacked vessels transiting the waterway.
Saudi shipping company Bahri said two Filipino sailors were killed in an attack late Monday as their vessel crossed the strait. Brent crude, the international benchmark, has climbed above $95 a barrel, up more than 30% since the conflict began.
Trump dismissed the idea of forcing Tehran to the bargaining table, writing on social media: "I couldn't care less if they sign a worthless, to them, agreement. I like our position now much better, with almost total control of the Hormuz Strait, and their economy totally collapsing. They are just playing out the inevitable. When are the Iranian people going to rise up and fight?"
He had earlier warned that if Iran retaliated for the new strikes, "they will be hit again at a much harder and higher level." During the lull in fighting, Washington ramped up economic pressure on Tehran, which is suffering from soaring inflation, negative growth and a collapsing currency as it tries to weather the campaign.
Iran now faces a choice: keep lashing out at neighbors and risk drawing the entire Gulf into the fight, or find a way back to the table as its economy crumbles. Allied air defenses have proven effective so far, intercepting nearly every drone and missile Tehran has thrown at the region.
For now, the Trump administration shows no signs of backing off. With U.S. forces holding the strait and Iranian proxies unable to land meaningful blows, the pressure campaign continues -- and Tehran's options grow thinner by the day.
Iran fired drones at U.S. Gulf allies Kuwait and Bahrain after renewed American strikes ended a monthlong lull, while allied defenses intercepted the barrage and Trump warned Tehran of a heavier response.
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