Iran attacks Bahrain and Kuwait following US strikes, threatens to end negotiations

Iran launched drone and missile attacks targeting Bahrain and Kuwait Sunday morning in retaliation for early U.S. airstrikes, simultaneously threatening a "complete halt" to ongoing negotiations aimed at ending the war. These actions have intensified regional tensions, particularly concerning efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Efforts by a multinational maritime body, overseen by the U.S. Navy, to expand a route near Oman for maritime traffic have sparked a new flashpoint with Tehran. Iran insists on its sole authority to govern the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint that once handled a fifth of the world's oil and natural gas. This assertion was reiterated by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi during a visit to Iraq.

"Any interference in this matter, any attempt to establish new or separate arrangements from those currently being carried out by the Islamic Republic of Iran, will only lead to further complications, delay the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and increase the level of tension," Araghchi stated in Baghdad. He referenced recent incidents in the strait that heightened tension and confrontation.

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Any interference in this matter, any attempt to establish new or separate arrangements from those currently being carried out by the Islamic Republic of Iran, will only lead to further complications, delay the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and increase the level of tension, just as over the past two nights we witnessed incidents in the Strait of Hormuz that led to an increase in tension and confrontation.

The ongoing tit-for-tat strikes threaten to derail the interim peace deal between the United States and Iran. The negotiations, which have a 60-day window under a memorandum of understanding, cover terms such as shipping arrangements, the removal of U.S. sanctions, and the future of Iran's enriched uranium stockpile.

Kuwait's military reported intercepting Iranian drones and missiles, condemning the attacks as a "flagrant violation of its sovereignty." Bahrain also condemned Iran's 'aggression.' These events underscore the precarious state of regional security and the fragility of diplomatic efforts in the Persian Gulf.

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expresses its condemnation and denunciation of… in the strongest terms, the recurrence of Iran’s heinous aggression against the State of Kuwait, the latest of which was at dawn today, in a flagrant violation of its sovereignty.