A fragile truce between Iran and the United States appeared increasingly shaky early on June 28 as both sides accused one another of violating an interim agreement meant to halt months of fighting, amid renewed missile, drone, and air strikes across the Persian Gulf region.
Iran launched missiles and drones targeting US military sites in Kuwait and Bahrain shortly after US President Donald Trump warned Washington could escalate its military campaign if Tehran failed to abide by the cease-fire.
“There may come a point when we are no longer able to be reasonable,” Trump said in a social media post, adding that the United States could “militarily complete the job” it began earlier this year.
Within hours, Kuwaiti and Bahraini authorities reported that their air defenses were responding to incoming projectiles.
Kuwait’s armed forces said two hostile ballistic missiles were intercepted in its airspace with no reported damage or casualties.
Bahrain’s military said it intercepted and destroyed several missiles and drones, while sirens sounded across the Gulf country. Bahrain’s Interior Ministry reported damage to a residential building but said no one was injured.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) said it carried out the attacks in retaliation for fresh US strikes on Iranian territory.
In a statement carried by Iranian state media, the IRGC said that US military infrastructure in Bahrain and Kuwait had been targeted, including facilities linked to the United States Fifth Fleet.
In a comment to Reuters, a US official confirmed attacks on American facilities but said there were no reported US casualties or major damage. The official added that the situation remained under review.
The overnight escalation followed US strikes on Iranian military sites hours earlier, which Washington said were carried out in response to Iranian attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global energy corridor.
United States Central Command, said its forces targeted Iranian drone storage facilities, radar installations, and coastal surveillance infrastructure after a tanker was hit by an Iranian drone on June 27.
"Iran was given a chance to honor the ceasefire agreement but elected not to," Central Command said in a statement. It said the strikes were "in direct response to continued Iranian aggression against commercial shipping.”
Iran denied responsibility for endangering shipping and accused Washington of violating the truce.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry said that US air strikes on surveillance facilities along Iran’s southern coast were “terrorist acts” and vowed to defend the country’s sovereignty. The ministry warned that continued US attacks could derail ongoing diplomatic efforts.
The interim agreement, signed earlier this month, was intended to halt fighting that erupted after US and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28 and to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to commercial traffic while broader negotiations continued.
One round of mediated talks was held in Switzerland last week, and Washington later temporarily waived some sanctions on Tehran.
Despite the deal, violence has persisted. Iran and the United States have repeatedly accused each other of undermining the truce, while attacks on shipping and military assets have continued.
Beyond the Gulf, tensions also flared along Israel’s northern border. The Israeli military said on June 28 that it killed several fighters from the Iran-backed Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, despite a separate cease-fire framework between Israel and Lebanon.
The Israeli military said the militants were armed with anti-tank weapons and operating near a self-declared security zone.
Hezbollah is both a militant group and political party that controls much of southern Lebanon. It is considered a terrorist organization by the United States, while the European Union has blacklisted its armed wing.
Hezbollah has rejected the Israel-Lebanon framework agreement, calling it a surrender of Lebanese sovereignty and refusing to disarm while Israeli troops remain on Lebanese territory.
