Tension Rises as Iran Hits US Base in Kuwait, Over 60 Injured

The ceasefire between the US and Iran is now shaky as both sides exchange attacks, raising tension in the area.

On Wednesday morning, Iran fired missiles at a US base in Kuwait. This attack impacted Kuwait's airport. It resulted in the death of one Indian national and injured about 60 other people.

Iran's strike on Kuwait came after a US missile attack on an Iranian military control station on Qeshm Island, located near the Strait of Hormuz.

The US also targeted a Botswana-flagged oil tanker heading to an Iranian port on Kharg Island. The Central Command reported that the ship did not follow the US blockade of Iranian ports.

In retaliation, Iran attacked the Gulf states of Kuwait and Bahrain. Iranian officials said the strikes were aimed at American air and helicopter bases in the region and the US Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard stated that these retaliatory strikes “should serve as a lesson” against unprovoked attacks on Iran’s facilities.

The US claimed that all Iranian attacks on American forces failed because its missiles and drones were intercepted or did not reach their targets. But this contradicts the report from the Kuwait government about the effects of the strikes on its airport.

CENTCOM also reported that it shot down three Iranian attack drones aimed “towards civilian mariners that were rightfully transiting regional waters.”

This latest escalation happens three months after the first US and Israeli strikes on Iran.

Although a ceasefire between the US and Iran has been in place since April 8, attempts to reach a lasting peace deal have not succeeded due to disagreements over Iran’s uranium enrichment and control of the Strait of Hormuz.

Last week, Iran and the US announced a preliminary agreement to stop hostilities. However, neither side has officially approved or signed this deal.

The recent attack also comes as worries grow that Israel’s expanding campaign in Lebanon could impact the US-Iran ceasefire.