Iran said on Sunday it had carried out a third consecutive day of retaliatory strikes following US attacks on its territory, as both sides accused each other of breaching a fragile ceasefire, further straining negotiations aimed at ending the Middle East conflict.
The latest exchanges highlighted the fragility of a Pakistan-brokered peace process intended to end a war launched by the United States and Israel in February. The conflict has disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and unsettled global energy markets.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they had tightened control over traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, warning that vessels violating Tehran's regulations would face tougher action. The Guards said the only authorised route passes through a corridor along Iran's coastline.
In a statement, the Revolutionary Guards said they had also carried out retaliatory strikes in Kuwait and Bahrain, claiming to have destroyed eight key US military facilities at Ali al-Salem Air Base in Kuwait and the US Fifth Fleet naval base in Port Salman, Bahrain.
“Any enemy aggression, whatever the pretext, even against insignificant targets... will have a crushing response,” the statement said.
Air raid sirens sounded twice in Bahrain on Sunday, according to the country's interior ministry.
A memorandum of understanding brokered by Pakistan in mid-June was intended to establish a lasting ceasefire. The agreement, signed by the United States and Iran, stated that both countries and their respective allies would “not initiate any war or any military operation against each other and to refrain from the threat or use of force against each other”.
US President Donald Trump warned on Saturday that Iran would “no longer exist” if Washington were “forced” to resume the war.
The warning followed US strikes on what the military described as multiple Iranian targets in response to attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
“United States aircraft just struck Iranian missile and drone storage locations, and coastal radar sites, for violating the Cease Fire Agreement, AGAIN!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“There may come a point when we are no longer able to be reasonable, and will be forced to militarily complete the job that we very successfully started. If that happens, the Islamic Republic of Iran will no longer exist!” he added.
US Central Command said the strikes were carried out in response to an Iranian drone attack on the Panama-flagged oil tanker Kiku, which was transporting about two million barrels of crude oil.
The US military said it targeted surveillance infrastructure, communication systems, air defence sites, drone storage facilities and minelaying capabilities. Iranian media reported several explosions in the southern areas of Sirik and Qeshm.
Washington had conducted similar strikes on Friday, saying they were retaliation for an earlier Iranian attack on another commercial vessel, the Ever Lovely.
Iran condemned the latest US military action, describing “these brutal attacks... a blatant violation” of the interim ceasefire agreement.
Tehran has warned ships not to enter or leave the Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz without permission, although commercial traffic has continued, with some vessels using routes not authorised by Iran.
Under the memorandum of understanding, Iran had agreed to allow “safe passage of commercial vessels with no charge, for 60 days only, from the Persian Gulf to the Sea of Oman, and vice versa” through the strait.
H.A. Hellyer of the Royal United Services Institute in London said Iran was likely to continue “calibrated, low-level coercive activity in and around the Strait of Hormuz... to create persistent pressure on international shipping without triggering a wider conflict”.
He said the US congressional midterm elections in November gave Washington “incentives for a quicker agreement”, while for Iran “a drawn-out negotiation accompanied by controlled pressure in the strait can work to its advantage”.
Meanwhile, Israel carried out strikes in Lebanon after Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem rejected an agreement aimed at ending hostilities between the two countries, raising further concerns about the wider regional peace effort.
Lebanon became involved in the conflict in early March when Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel in support of Iran, prompting an Israeli invasion and prolonged fighting.
Israel and Lebanon signed a US-backed agreement on Friday intended to secure long-term peace. However, Qassem rejected the deal the following day, calling it “humiliating, shameful and a surrender of sovereignty”.
Instead, he called for the full implementation of Washington's agreement with Tehran, including an end to the fighting in Lebanon.
Hezbollah has repeatedly demanded a complete Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon, although the US-backed agreement does not appear to guarantee such a move.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israeli troops would remain in the security zone in southern Lebanon until Hezbollah was disarmed and civilians could return safely. He described the agreement as historic and “a blow to Iran and Hezbollah”.
However, Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir criticised the deal as “a big mistake”, insisting that only Israeli forces were capable of disarming Hezbollah.
