Iran launched missile and drone attacks against Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates on Sunday, widening its military campaign across the Gulf only hours after the United States carried out a third round of airstrikes against Iranian targets in retaliation for attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz TurkicWorld reports via arabnews.
Explosions were heard over Qatar’s capital, Doha, where AFP journalists reported seeing missile interceptions lighting up the night sky. Residents received emergency alerts on their mobile phones instructing them to remain indoors.
Missile warning sirens also sounded across Bahrain, home to the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, while the United Arab Emirates issued public warnings of an incoming missile and drone attack. Authorities did not immediately identify the locations targeted in the UAE or report casualties.
Kuwait’s military on Sunday said its air defense forces were working to intercept an ongoing attack on its territory.
“The General Staff of the Army notes that any explosion sounds heard are the result of air defense systems intercepting hostile attacks,” the Kuwaiti military said in a statement posted on social media.
The latest exchange marked another sharp escalation after US President Donald Trump declared that an interim ceasefire with Iran was “over,” while saying Washington remained open to negotiations on a permanent settlement.
US Central Command said it launched fresh strikes on Iranian targets on Trump’s orders after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps attacked a Cyprus-flagged container ship transiting the Strait of Hormuz. According to the US military, the vessel suffered significant engine-room damage and one civilian crew member was reported missing.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said several vessels had ignored what it described as approved navigation routes through the strategic waterway. One vessel, it said, was struck by a “warning shot” and forced to stop.
Tehran also declared that the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed “until further notice” and warned it could target additional US military facilities in the region if further attacks were launched against Iran.
The United States has rejected Iran’s claim to exclusive control over the strait, demanding that Tehran publicly guarantee freedom of navigation and halt attacks on commercial shipping before broader negotiations can advance.
US officials said Washington views unrestricted maritime traffic through the waterway as a prerequisite for any future agreement over Iran’s nuclear program and regional security. They also said any nuclear deal would require Iran to surrender its stockpile of highly enriched uranium.
Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, insisted this week that all activity in the Strait of Hormuz, including reopening the shipping lane or conducting demining operations, “rests exclusively with Iran.”
The Strait of Hormuz carries roughly one-fifth of the world’s traded oil and natural gas under normal conditions, making it one of the world’s most strategically important maritime chokepoints. Iran’s restrictions on shipping during the conflict triggered a global energy shock before oil prices retreated from wartime highs.
Sunday’s attacks followed another wave of Iranian missile and drone strikes earlier this week targeting Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan. Kuwait intercepted four missiles and 10 drones, while Jordan’s military said it shot down eight missiles fired toward its territory. Bahrain also activated its air defenses after incoming projectiles were detected.
Iran said those attacks targeted US military installations across the three countries and warned that other American bases in the region would remain vulnerable if Washington continued military operations.
The renewed attacks prompted widespread condemnation from Gulf and Arab governments.
Saudi Arabia condemned what it called repeated Iranian violations of the sovereignty of neighboring states and warned that the attacks threatened regional security and undermined international efforts to restore stability.
The United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Egypt also condemned the strikes and renewed calls for restraint, while Gulf leaders intensified diplomatic contacts aimed at reviving negotiations.
Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani held separate talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, urging all sides to recommit to diplomacy and implement earlier understandings intended to halt the conflict.
At the United Nations on Friday, Bahrain accused Iran of exploiting diplomacy to buy time while continuing military operations across the region.
Addressing the Security Council, Bahrain’s ambassador Jamal Al-Rowaiei said Tehran had repeatedly violated international agreements, including the Islamabad Memorandum signed in June and previous UN Security Council resolutions calling for an end to attacks against regional states.
He said Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz and continuing missile and drone attacks against Gulf countries demonstrated a pattern in which diplomacy served only to “manage crises and gain time” while aggression continued on the ground through ballistic missiles, drones and proxy groups.
The latest exchange further clouds efforts by regional mediators, including Qatar, Oman and Pakistan, to restore the ceasefire and resume negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program, maritime security and broader regional stability.
