Fighting between the U.S. and Iran reignited early Thursday, dealing another blow to peace efforts and the existing ceasefire that Tehran now considers effectively “meaningless.”
U.S. Central Command launched the latest round of what it termed “self-defense strikes” just after midnight on Thursday morning, targeting the cities of Bandar Abbas, Minab and Sirik. Strikes were also reported near Qeshm, located near the Strait of Hormuz.
The precise targets of the strikes are not yet known, but previous strikes in southern Iran focused on radar and air defense batteries in the region.
CENTCOM reported at around 4:30 a.m. that its strikes on Iran had concluded, but President Trump told Fox News earlier that the U.S. would launch more strikes if Iran did not concede defeat during negotiations.
Iran said it retaliated just hours later with strikes on U.S. military installations in Bahrain and Kuwait. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said the strikes targeted the Sheikh Isa Air Base in Bahrain and the Ali Al-Salem and Ahmad Al-Jaber air bases in Kuwait.
Kuwait’s military said its air defenses had been activated and that its forces were actively intercepting targets, but did not say if they came from Iran. Air raid sirens were activated across Bahrain, but authorities have not confirmed if its air defenses were engaging Iranian missiles or drones.
Kuwait’s military said its air defenses had intercepted 24 Iranian drones over the past 48 hours, causing limited damage to infrastructure and no casualties.
“The armed forces affirm their continued performance of their duties and responsibilities with efficiency, within a framework of readiness and preparedness,” Abdulaziz Al-Otaibi, spokesperson for Kuwait’s Defense Ministry, said in a statement.
Air raid sirens were activated across Bahrain, but authorities have not confirmed if its air defenses were engaging Iranian missiles or drones.
Iran on Wednesday also launched strikes on targets in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan in response to U.S. military strikes in southern Iran.
The renewed fighting between the U.S. and Iran this week is the latest in a quickly escalating war that had lain relatively dormant for weeks as both sides discussed a possible peace agreement.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry on Thursday gave no indication that it was prepared to return to last week’s status quo, saying the latest round of U.S. strikes had “effectively rendered the cease-fire of April 8, 2026, meaningless.”
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