New attacks in the Middle East on Friday raised fears that an already fragile ceasefire between the US and Iran could collapse.
After weeks of indirect talks marked by threats and intermittent violence, efforts to secure a lasting agreement to end the conflict and reopen the strategic Strait of Hormuz have stalled.
The ceasefire, which came into effect on April 8 following US and Israeli strikes that reportedly eliminated Iran’s top leadership, has held for nearly 100 days but is now under renewed strain.
Tensions flared again on Friday when the US military said it struck Iranian radar sites after intercepting drones heading toward the Strait of Hormuz.
Shortly after, air raid sirens were heard in Kuwait and Bahrain, both US allies, and explosions were reported by AFP correspondents in the region.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Saturday that they had hit “enemy bases in the area” with missiles in retaliation for what they described as a US “invasion” of Sirik and Qeshm islands.
US Central Command (Centcom) stated that Iran fired seven ballistic missiles toward Kuwait and Bahrain, adding that six were intercepted and the seventh failed to reach its target.
“There are currently no reports of harm to US personnel, and Iranian claims of damaging US 5th fleet headquarters in Bahrain are false,” the command said.
Despite the escalation, the US has proceeded with arrangements allowing Iran’s national football team to travel for the upcoming FIFA World Cup co-hosted by Canada and Mexico.
US Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack confirmed visa approvals, saying that “sports transcends borders, and we look forward to welcoming competitors and fans from around the world”.
However, Iran’s Fars news agency reported delays in issuing visas for some members of the team’s “technical and executive staff”.
An unnamed US administration official said: “We will not allow the Iranian team to abuse this system to sneak terrorists into the United States under false pretenses.”
The team is scheduled to travel from Turkey to Spain before continuing to its base in Mexico, where it is expected to arrive on Sunday.
Trading strikes
Earlier on Friday, Centcom said US forces intercepted four Iranian drones heading toward the Strait of Hormuz and later struck radar facilities in Goruk and on Qeshm Island.
The US described the drones as posing an “immediate threat to regional maritime traffic,” and said the radar sites were targeted to prevent further attacks.
Iranian state media reported early Saturday that explosions were heard in Sirik, southern Iran, around 2:30am local time, following the US strikes.
IRIB said Iranian forces responded by hitting US-linked positions in the region, quoting the Revolutionary Guards.
Kuwait’s military also said it was countering “hostile” missile and drone attacks, shortly after a recent strike on its international airport had already caused casualties.
US President Donald Trump told NBC News that Iran still retains about “21, 22 per cent” of its missile capability, revising earlier lower estimates.
He had previously put the figure at 18 per cent in May.
Regional fallout
The escalation has further complicated stalled negotiations aimed at stabilising the region, while also impacting global markets and increasing domestic political pressure on Trump ahead of midterm elections.
Iranian military adviser Mohsen Rezaei said the talks were “at a deadlock” and urged Trump to release frozen Iranian assets worth “$24 billion”.
Lebanon, meanwhile, urged Iran to reduce its regional interference as tensions linked to the wider conflict continue to spill over.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said: “Have mercy on our south, stop treating it and its people as merely a bargaining chip.”
“We are the people of a sovereign nation that refuses to serve as … an open battlefield for their wars.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi rejected such criticism, urging Lebanon’s leadership to focus on its “real foe”, and maintained that the conflicts in Lebanon and the Gulf are interconnected.
