US and Iran exchange strikes amid cease-fire talks
The United States and Iran each launched attacks on the other's assets, accusing one another of breaching a recently signed interim cease-fire agreement.
The United States military carried out airstrikes on several Iranian sites on Sunday, saying they targeted surveillance, communications, air-defence, drone storage and minelaying facilities in response to what it described as ongoing Iranian aggression against commercial shipping. The strikes followed a previous US attack that was said to be retaliation for a drone assault on a cargo vessel in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced a coordinated missile and drone operation that hit eight U.S. military locations in Kuwait and Bahrain. In a statement, the IRGC warned that any further aggression would be met with a "crushing response" and cautioned that violating the cease-fire could halt all diplomatic processes.
Both Bahrain and Kuwait condemned the Iranian attacks, though details of any damage remain unclear. The escalation occurs as Washington and Tehran continue negotiations on a memorandum of understanding intended to end the conflict that began in February and to reopen the Hormuz shipping lane.
The interim 14-point agreement, brokered by Pakistan, obliges the United States, Iran and their allies not to initiate hostilities or threaten force against each other. A U.S. official confirmed the Iranian strikes on facilities in Kuwait and Bahrain but said there were no reported U.S. casualties or major damage.
"Iran was given a chance to honor the ceasefire agreement but elected not to," the U.S. Central Command statement read.
Negotiations, including a recent round in Switzerland led by U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Iran’s parliamentary speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, have been strained by the renewed fighting. The United States also lifted some sanctions on Tehran as part of the diplomatic effort, but the recent exchanges have heightened tensions.
On social media, President Donald Trump warned that the situation could reach a point where the United States might be forced to take further military action, suggesting that Iran could cease to exist if such a scenario unfolded.
