Iran attacks Kuwait and Bahrain in response to US strikes

Iran has launched attacks connected Bahrain and Kuwait aft the United States struck 5 Iranian targets, escalating tensions and threatening the fragile ceasefire agreed by the 2 sides earlier this month.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) confirmed the attacks connected Sunday, saying it launched ballistic missiles and drones astatine the US Ali Al Salem airbase successful Kuwait and the US Fifth Naval Fleet astatine Port Salman successful Bahrain.

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Bahrain condemned the attacks, saying they violated its sovereignty and undermined “opportunities for de-escalation and stableness successful the region”, portion Kuwait described the “repeated heinous Iranian aggressions” arsenic a “flagrant usurpation of its sovereignty”.

The US subject deed Iran’s Sirik, Bandar-e Lengeh and Qeshm Island connected Saturday. US Central Command (CENTCOM) said its navy and aerial unit “conducted strikes contiguous connected 10 Iranian subject targets astatine aggregate locations successful and adjacent the Strait of Hormuz”, saying the attacks were a effect to an Iranian drone onslaught connected the Kiku lipid tanker.

It said the Panama-flagged vas was carrying much than 2 cardinal barrels of crude lipid erstwhile it was attacked arsenic it transited adjacent the strait aboriginal connected Saturday.

Britain’s UKMTO maritime information bureau ⁠said the tanker deed connected Saturday had sustained harm to its bridge, with each unit reported safe.

Strait of Hormuz

The play attacks travel aft the US struck Iran connected Friday pursuing drone attacks connected vessels adjacent the Strait of Hormuz.

The Singapore-registered Ever Lovely instrumentality vessel was deed by a drone connected Thursday. No injuries were reported. The US responded by hitting locations adjacent Sirik, portion Iran responded by attacking US subject locations successful the region.

Iran has said vessels transiting the strait tin lone usage its designated way and warned that ships utilizing immoderate different routes would beryllium violating the ceasefire agreement.

The International Maritime Organization suspended its program to evacuate ships stranded successful the strait connected Thursday aft the onslaught connected the Ever Lovely.

President Donald Trump said precocious connected Saturday that Tehran had violated the ceasefire agreement, which was signed connected June 17.

“There whitethorn travel a constituent erstwhile we are nary longer capable to beryllium reasonable, and volition beryllium forced to militarily implicit the occupation that we precise successfully started,” helium posted connected societal media. “If that happens, the Islamic Republic of Iran volition nary longer exist!”

Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the US strikes connected its monitoring and surveillance facilities connected its confederate coast. It said the “brutal attacks” were successful usurpation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and the United Nations charter.

It added that they showed the US “does not spot the slightest worth and credibility connected its commitments” and said Iran would support its sovereignty and territorial integrity against “US subject aggression”.

Speaking successful Iraq connected Sunday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that “the Strait of Hormuz remains nether the full oversight and absorption of Iran passim the 30 coming days, and aft each obstacles are removed, the full capableness of the waterway volition beryllium restored.”

“Any caller developments volition effect successful exacerbating the situation, and besides delaying the opening of the strait. It volition besides rise the levels of escalation,” helium added, informing that nary different enactment should interfere. He called for each parties to honour their obligations nether the MoU, different it volition derailed.”

Agreement nether strain

The MoU signed by the US and Iran extended a ceasefire successful their warfare that began with US-Israeli attacks connected Iran connected February 28, giving some sides 60 days to negociate an extremity to the fighting.

Access done the Strait of Hormuz is simply a cardinal constituent of the MoU. During the war, Iran blocked the waterway done which astir 20 percent of the world’s lipid passes, triggering a planetary vigor crisis.

Article 5 of the MoU states that Iran volition “make arrangements utilizing its champion efforts for the harmless transition of commercialized vessels” done the strait during the 60 days. It states that Iran and Oman, on with different Gulf states, volition sermon the aboriginal medication of the strait.

Wolfgang Pusztai, a defence analyst, told Al Jazeera that portion neither the US nor Iran person an involvement successful a bigger escalation, “there is simply a hazard that this mightiness hap unintentionally.”

“If determination are immoderate hits successful residential areas, if a larger fig of civilians are getting killed successful the Arab Gulf states, if an American basal is deed severely truthful that the American soldiers are killed, this mightiness easy get retired of control,” helium said.