Washington, United States. Gulf hostilities intensified on Wednesday as the U.S. military said Iranian missile attacks on Bahrain, Kuwait and other regional targets were either intercepted or failed. Diplomatic efforts between Washington and Tehran also showed little progress.
Missile and drone attacks reported
U.S. Central Command said two Iranian missiles fired at Kuwait fell short or broke apart in flight, while several ballistic missiles aimed at regional targets failed. It added that three missiles heading for Bahrain were intercepted.
Since the conflict began in late February, Iran has repeatedly attacked targets in the Gulf region where U.S. military bases are located.
Central Command also said the U.S. military shot down Iranian drones targeting civilian ships in regional waters and U.S. forces in Kuwait. It said U.S. forces carried out strikes on Qeshm Island near the Strait of Hormuz after attempted attacks by Iran.
Iranian account of the attacks
Iranian state media reported that the Revolutionary Guards Corps attacked the U.S. Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain, as well as an airbase and helicopters in an unspecified regional country, using missiles and drones.
According to the Iranian reports, the attacks were in response to what the IRGC described as a U.S. attack on a communications tower south of Qeshm.
U.S. response and regional impact
Central Command said all the attacks failed and that U.S. forces remained ready to repel what it called “unwarranted Iranian aggression.”
The latest escalation pushed oil prices up by more than 1% in early trading on Wednesday. It came more than three months after the initial U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, with the conflict remaining at a stalemate under a fragile ceasefire and the Strait of Hormuz largely closed to maritime traffic.
Stalled diplomacy
Iran and the United States said last week they had reached a tentative initial agreement to halt the war, but the two sides have not approved the deal.
Iranian media reported that Tehran had not communicated with Washington for several days, while U.S. President Donald Trump said negotiations were continuing.
“The conversations between us have been going on continuously, including four days ago, three days ago, two days ago, one day ago, and today,” Trump said in a social media post.
