Iranian Missiles Hit Kuwait Airport as US-Iran Clashes Resume

Iran launched missiles and drones at Kuwait’s main airport and targets in Bahrain early Wednesday, killing at least one person and wounding others while shutting down flights, hours after the United States carried out strikes on Iran’s Qeshm Island in the latest round of exchanges in a nearly 100-day conflict.

Kuwait’s foreign ministry condemned the attacks for hitting vital civilian infrastructure, including the international airport, and said one person died with several others injured. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation reported extensive damage to Terminal 1, activated emergency protocols, and suspended all flights indefinitely while diverting incoming planes. Kuwait International Airport had only recently resumed full operations after repeated closures since the war began in late February.

US Central Command said Iranian projectiles aimed at Kuwait either fell short or were intercepted, and that several ballistic missiles failed to reach Bahrain. Sirens sounded in Bahrain near the US Fifth Fleet headquarters, though Iranian claims of striking US military assets there and in Kuwait could not be independently confirmed. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps stated the action responded to earlier US strikes on an oil tanker near the Strait of Hormuz and an IRGC communications tower on Qeshm Island.

The Pentagon described its Qeshm Island operation as self-defense. Iranian state media reported explosions in the area and said the sequence began with damage to an Iranian vessel. Both sides have traded accusations of initiating the renewed fighting after a Pakistan-mediated ceasefire in April had reduced hostilities.

The flare-up comes on day 96 of the war and follows an impasse in diplomatic efforts. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington would lift sanctions only if Iran relinquishes its enriched uranium stockpile, rejecting any linkage to guarantees over the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian officials have not ruled out talks but have signaled that continued military pressure reduces prospects for progress.

Civilian areas in Kuwait and Bahrain have borne the brunt of the cross-Gulf exchanges, with damage reported to airport facilities and diplomatic missions. The conflict, which began with direct US-Iran clashes in February, has repeatedly drawn neighboring states into the line of fire because of the presence of American bases. Regional governments have urged de-escalation, warning that further strikes risk broader disruption to energy routes and commercial aviation.

Analysts note that each round of retaliation follows claims of prior attacks on vessels or facilities, yet the pattern has produced little movement toward a negotiated settlement. With sanctions relief tied to strict conditions on Iran’s nuclear program and no agreement on maritime security, both sides appear locked into a cycle of strikes and counter-strikes that continues to affect populations far from the original points of dispute.