Iran strikes Kuwait airport and US-linked vessels as Gulf ceasefire frays under tit-for-tat attacks

Kuwait airport struck

Kuwait suspended flights after Iranian drones hit Terminal 1 of its international airport early Wednesday, causing what the defence ministry called significant material damage and wounding several people. Colonel Saud al Atwan, a ministry spokesman, said the wounded received medical attention and that the armed forces were coordinating with relevant authorities. Kuwaiti officials described the strike as part of an Iranian aggression and said the country was fully prepared to maintain security and stability.

The maritime exchange

The airport attack unfolded alongside a new round of hostilities at sea. The US Central Command confirmed it fired a Hellfire missile into the engine room of the M/T Lexie, a Botswanan-flagged tanker sailing empty toward Iran's Kharg Island, after the crew ignored repeated warnings over 24 hours. Centcom said the strike was part of the maritime blockade imposed on 13 April, under which six commercial vessels have been disabled and 122 redirected. Iran's Revolutionary Guard said it responded by hitting the Panaya, a vessel it described as belonging to the American Zionist enemy, with naval missiles.

Last night, the aggressive American army attacked an Iranian oil tanker near the Strait of Hormuz with an aerial projectile, damaging the engine room. In response, the Panaya vessel, belonging to the American Zionist enemy, was attacked with naval missiles.

Qeshm Island and the wider salvo

Iran also accused the US of striking a Revolutionary Guard communications tower on Qeshm Island, an attack Centcom confirmed as a self-defence operation. The US military said it hit the ground control station after Iran launched ballistic missiles toward Kuwait and Bahrain, none of which reached their targets. Centcom reported that two missiles aimed at Kuwait disintegrated in flight and three bound for Bahrain were intercepted by US and Bahraini air defences. The Revolutionary Guard claimed it retaliated by firing missiles and drones at a US air base and helicopters in an unnamed regional country, as well as at the US Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain.

All attacks failed and US forces remained ready to repel any unjustified Iranian aggression.

Competing claims and a stalled truce

Centcom dismissed Iran's assertion that the Fifth Fleet base was hit as false. The exchange is the latest in a pattern of mutual accusations since the 8 April ceasefire. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Congress on Tuesday that sanctions on Iran would not be lifted even if the Strait of Hormuz reopens next week. President Donald Trump denied on social media that negotiations had been suspended, saying talks had been continuous, including in recent days. Iranian media reported that Tehran had not communicated with Washington for several days.

Oil and regional stability

Oil prices rose more than 1% at the start of trading on Wednesday. The Strait of Hormuz, the chokepoint for roughly a fifth of global oil flows, remains effectively closed to maritime traffic under the US blockade. The IRGC warned that disrupting security in the strait would carry a high cost for the aggressive American army. Kuwait said its forces were supervising the situation and were fully prepared to respond to any developments.