Bahrain said on Saturday that Iran fired ballistic missiles and drones toward Bahrain and Kuwait, and that the weapons were intercepted. The announcement came hours after U.S. forces said they had already shot down Iranian missiles and drones aimed at Gulf Arab allies and the Strait of Hormuz, a corridor that handles a huge share of global oil and natural gas shipments.
The latest exchanges deepened the pressure on a fragile ceasefire, even as U.S. President Donald Trump said the situation with Iran seemed to be going quite well. That was a jarring note against the backdrop of air raid sirens in Bahrain, missile interceptions over Kuwait and a new round of strikes tied to a conflict that has repeatedly spilled toward the sea lanes at the mouth of the gulf.
Bahrain’s foreign ministry said the missiles and drones were intercepted, while Kuwait’s foreign ministry called the attacks a serious escalation and a flagrant violation of its sovereignty. Kuwait said it reserved the right to defend the country, and its military said forces were intercepting missiles and drones attacking it. Bahrain activated air raid sirens and told residents to move to the nearest safe location and follow official instructions.
U.S. Central Command said late Friday that Iran had fired seven ballistic missiles toward Kuwait and Bahrain, and that U.S. forces intercepted six of them while a seventh failed to reach its target. Earlier Friday, the military said it shot down four Iranian drones launched toward the Strait of Hormuz after determining they posed an immediate threat to regional maritime traffic. U.S. forces also struck some Iranian coastal surveillance radar sites in response, including one on an island in the strait, to defend against further attacks.
The guardrails around the truce are already thin. Earlier this week, Iranian drones heavily damaged a passenger terminal at Kuwait’s main airport, killing one person and wounding dozens, and a week ago U.S. and Iranian negotiators reached a tentative agreement to extend the ceasefire by 60 days. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said it targeted the Ali Al Salem air base in Kuwait and the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet in Bahrain, a claim that underscores how close the fighting has come to American and Gulf facilities. For now, the unanswered question is not whether the next attack could happen, but whether the ceasefire can survive the last one.
