The United States said it shot down a pair of Iranian drones threatening the Strait of Hormuz, the latest escalation of violence as the war crept into its 100th day on Sunday with no end in sight.
Weeks of indirect talks marked by tit-for-tat threats and sporadic exchanges of fire have failed to secure a deal to end the conflict or reopen the vital waterway, a chokepoint for Gulf oil and gas shipments.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) said it destroyed two Iranian drones “that threatened international maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz”, hours after announcing it struck four other drones and coastal surveillance radar sites.
Tehran responded with a salvo of missiles at US allies Bahrain and Kuwait on Saturday, drawing a furious response from the Gulf monarchies and piling pressure on a shaky ceasefire agreed on April 8.
CENTCOM said Iran launched seven ballistic missiles towards Bahrain and Kuwait, with six intercepted and one falling short. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they had targeted “enemy bases in the area” with missiles.
Bahrain, which hosts the headquarters of the US Fifth Fleet, denounced the latest attacks as “blatant aggression”, while Kuwait said they “represent a dangerous escalation”.
In Bahrain’s capital Manama, an AFP journalist heard three explosions as air raid sirens sounded.
In Kuwait, another AFP journalist heard repeated blasts near the international airport, where a Wednesday strike blamed on Iran killed one person.
“We woke up to a huge explosion,” said Reem, a mother of two. “My children were terrified, and I couldn’t calm them down.”
Iran’s foreign ministry denounced the latest US strikes as “flagrant” violations while condemning Washington’s “hostile and provocative behaviour”.
Efforts to turn the truce into a lasting settlement have repeatedly stalled, while the conflict has rattled global markets and increased pressure on US President Donald Trump at home ahead of midterm elections.
“The negotiations are at a deadlock, and Trump must break this deadlock,” Mohsen Rezaei, military adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, told CNN as he called for the release of some $24 billion in frozen Iranian assets.
Washington instead may seek to use the funds to pay for damage wrought by Iranian strikes on Gulf allies.
The US “Treasury will utilize all tools available to allow Iranian assets to be made available to our Gulf allies to support rebuilding and repairs for any future damage caused by Iran”, a source familiar with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s thinking said.
