Shortly after President Donald Trump warned the America might “militarily complete the job”, Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard said on Sunday that it had launched overnight attacks on Bahrain and Kuwait, warning that negotiations with the United States could come to a “complete halt” if Washington continued its military operations.
The statement, published by the state-run IRAN newspaper, marked Tehran’s strongest warning so far over the future of the interim agreement reached with the US. The deal provides a 60-day period for both sides to negotiate a permanent end to the conflict.
The Revolutionary Guard claimed it had targeted the headquarters of the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet in and Al Asad Air Base in during the overnight attacks, according to AP.
“Let the enemy know that violating the ceasefire … will lead to a complete halt of ongoing processes,” the Guard mentioned.
Kuwait’s military said its air defence systems intercepted incoming Iranian drones and missiles, adding that there was no immediate information on any damage. The country hosts a major US Army base.
Bahrain’s Foreign Ministry condemned what it described as “a dangerous escalation that reveals that what Tehran is doing is not a passing act, nor an isolated incident, but rather a deliberate approach and a systematic pattern of repeated aggression against the sovereignty of the kingdom, and the security of its citizens and residents.”
Bahrain, which hosts the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, has seen the naval base come under repeated attacks during the conflict.
Earlier, the US military said it had launched another round of strikes on Iran, just hours after a tanker was hit in the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s busiest oil shipping route, which Iran had kept largely closed throughout much of the conflict.
The US Central Command said earlier that its forces had launched another round of strikes after a Panama-flagged tanker was targeted by an Iranian drone on Saturday.
In a statement, Central Command said, “Iran was given a chance to honor the ceasefire agreement but elected not to,” adding that the strikes were “in direct response to continued Iranian aggression against commercial shipping” and targeted Iranian military surveillance infrastructure, communication systems, air defence sites, drone storage facilities and mine-laying capabilities.
On Saturday, wrote on social media, “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!”
Meanwhile, Iranian state broadcaster IRIB stated that explosions were heard in Sirik in southern Iran but did not provide further details. The Revolutionary Guards mentioned, “America’s blind shots at Sirik will not resolve our dominance over the Strait of Hormuz. But our shots at violators will remind the rest of the vessels of the clear passage route.”
US-Iran interim deal
The 14-point interim agreement between the and was intended to stop the fighting that began after the US and Israel launched military operations on February 28. It also aimed to restore shipping through the Strait of Hormuz while both sides negotiated longer-term issues, including Iran’s nuclear programme.
A round of mediated talks took place in Switzerland last week, led by US Vice President JD Vance and Iran’s parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf. Following the meeting, Washington eased sanctions on Tehran. However, clashes have since resumed, with both sides exchanging accusations and escalating military action.
