Iran Hits US Bases in Kuwait and Bahrain - Kiku Tanker Sparks New Hormuz Crisis
Ten American targets struck. IRGC answered at Ali Al Salem and the Fifth Fleet. Trump warns he may finish the job.
The June 17 ceasefire was supposed to buy 60 days. By the weekend of June 28, both sides were shooting again - and this time the targets were not just ships and Iranian coastlines.
They were American bases in Kuwait and Bahrain.
It started on a tanker
On Saturday, a drone hit the Panama-flagged oil tanker Kiku near the Strait of Hormuz. The vessel was carrying crude for Qatar’s state energy company - one of the mediators still trying to keep talks alive.
US Central Command said Iran attacked the ship on an unauthorised route through the Gulf. Tehran said the tanker ignored approved transit lanes.
Donald Trump called it another breach of the memorandum of understanding. CENTCOM launched retaliatory strikes on 10 Iranian military targets at multiple sites in and near the strait:
- Sirik
- Bandar-e Lengeh
- Qeshm Island
Surveillance gear, communications, air-defense sites, drone storage, minelaying capability - the list read like a shopping list for escalation.
Sunday: IRGC hits back - hard
Iran did not limit the response to rhetoric.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps confirmed ballistic missiles and drones against:
- Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait - a major US hub
- facilities linked to the US Fifth Fleet at Port Salman in Bahrain
Kuwait said air defenses intercepted most incoming fire. Two missiles got through. No deaths reported.
Bahrain said a building at the international airport was damaged. Not the naval headquarters - but close enough to rattle the kingdom.
Iran’s foreign ministry called the US strikes “brutal attacks” that violate the UN Charter and the MoU. It warned that continued American bombing would bring a “complete halt” to negotiations.
Trump: “We may be forced to militarily complete the job”
On social media late Saturday, Trump accused Iran of breaking the deal and hinted at a much larger response if attacks on shipping continue.
Pakistan - still brokering - said technical talks between Washington and Tehran were set to resume Tuesday. The White House insisted nothing was canceled.
Read that twice: missiles flying over Manama and Kuwait City while diplomats still have meetings on the calendar.
Why this round feels worse
The June 25-27 cycle started with the Ever Lovely cargo ship and Iranian counter-strikes on unnamed Gulf sites. Painful, but abstract.
June 28-29 put US allies in the crosshairs:
- Kuwait hosts Ali Al Salem
- Bahrain hosts the Fifth Fleet
- Both are supposed to be outside the direct Iran-US lane
When bases in partner countries get hit, the war stops being a headline and starts being a regional security crisis.
Roughly 20% of global oil still moves through Hormuz. Insurance costs jump. Rerouting begins. Markets notice before politicians finish their statements.
The World Cup in the background
The 2026 World Cup rolls on across North America. Mexico plays knockout games in packed stadiums. Fans check scores between push alerts about missiles over the Gulf.
Iran’s national team is already out. The country’s foreign policy is not.
Where this leaves the deal
The MoU from June 17 promised safe commercial passage for 60 days while negotiators worked on a permanent end to fighting.
That passage now has a body count of damaged hulls and cratered radar sites.
Neither side has formally declared the truce dead. Neither side is behaving like it is alive.
The Kiku was not the Ever Lovely. The targets were not just Iranian beaches. The ceasefire survived a week after the first shipping strike.
After Kuwait and Bahrain, calling it a pause is getting harder by the hour.