U.S. Launches Second Round of Airstrikes on Iran as Tehran Hits Bahrain and Kuwait

A fragile deal under fire

The United States military struck 10 Iranian military targets in and around the Strait of Hormuz early Sunday after a drone launched by Iranian forces hit the Panamanian-flagged tanker M/T Kiku — carrying more than two million barrels of crude oil — as the vessel transited a newly established alternate shipping route near Oman.cnbc The strikes, ordered by President Donald Trump, targeted Iranian surveillance infrastructure, communication systems, air defense sites, drone storage facilities, and minelayer capabilities.apnews Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps responded by launching drone and missile attacks on U.S. military facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait, widening a conflict that had seemed to be edging toward resolution.apnews +1

Ceasefire signed just 11 days ago

The escalation comes barely a week and a half after Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian signed the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding on June 17, establishing a 60-day framework for negotiating a permanent end to the four-month war.iiss Both sides are accusing the other of violating the agreement. Trump posted on Truth Social that aircraft had struck Iran "for violating the Cease Fire Agreement, AGAIN!" and warned that if the U.S. were forced to resume full hostilities, "the Islamic Republic of Iran will no longer exist."cnbc The Revolutionary Guard countered that further violations would "lead to a complete halt of ongoing processes," threatening to walk away from talks entirely.apnews

The underlying flashpoint is control of the Strait of Hormuz. A U.S. Navy-overseen maritime body announced Saturday it would expand a transit route near Oman to accommodate both inbound and outbound traffic.apnews Tehran insists it alone governs the strait. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, speaking in Baghdad on Sunday, warned that any attempt to establish "new or separate arrangements" from those Iran currently operates "will only lead to further complications."apnews

Gulf neighbors caught in the crossfire

Kuwait reported its air defenses intercepting two Iranian ballistic missiles with no casualties.apnews In Bahrain, the Interior Ministry said an Iranian strike damaged the top floor of an eight-story residential building near the international airport, though no fatalities were reported.apnews Bahrain's Foreign Ministry condemned what it called "a deliberate approach and a systematic pattern of repeated aggression."cnbc

The exchanges follow an earlier pattern: an Iranian drone struck the Singapore-flagged cargo ship Ever Lovely off the coast of Oman on Thursday, triggering the first round of U.S. retaliatory strikes on Friday.cnbc The Kiku appeared to be using the alternate Omani-side route when it was struck Saturday — a direct challenge to Tehran's claimed authority over the waterway.apnews Brent crude settled at $71.99 a barrel on Friday, down more than 4%, as tankers moved away from the strait.cnbc Analysts warn that a full collapse of the MOU would drive prices sharply higher.apnews