Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
The fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran came under renewed strain on Thursday after both sides exchanged fresh military strikes across the Gulf region, with Kuwait reporting missile interceptions amid growing fears that negotiations to end the war are beginning to unravel.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced it had launched retaliatory strikes against an American air base in response to US attacks carried out near the Strait of Hormuz just hours earlier.
According to US officials, American forces targeted Iranian drones and a launch facility near the strategic waterway after identifying what Washington described as an imminent threat to military and commercial traffic in the area.
Late Wednesday, US warplanes reportedly destroyed four Iranian one-way attack drones and struck a ground control station near Bandar Abbas that officials said was preparing to launch another drone toward the Gulf shipping corridor.
Iranian state media later acknowledged the strike around Bandar Abbas International Airport, with the Revolutionary Guards confirming they had retaliated against what they described as the source of the American assault.
The escalation quickly spread across the region.
Kuwait announced Thursday that its air defense systems had intercepted incoming missiles and drones overnight, though authorities stopped short of identifying the precise targets. US Central Command later accused Iran of violating the already fragile ceasefire, describing the attack as an “egregious ceasefire violation.”
Kuwait’s Foreign Ministry condemned the incident as “blatant aggression,” while regional security officials warned the confrontation risks spiraling into a broader Gulf conflict if diplomatic efforts fail.
The oil-rich Gulf state hosts several major American military installations, including the forward headquarters of US Army Central Command, strategic air bases and naval facilities that have repeatedly been threatened by Iran and allied militias throughout the conflict.
Despite the latest escalation, President Donald Trump has continued projecting confidence that his administration can still secure a deal with Tehran.
The White House is pushing for an agreement that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical maritime chokepoints through which roughly one-fifth of globally traded oil and gas supplies once passed before the conflict erupted.
The closure of the strait following earlier clashes between Iran, the United States and Israel has sent global energy markets into turmoil, driving fuel prices sharply higher across Europe, Asia and the United States.
Washington is also demanding that Iran surrender its stockpile of highly enriched uranium and permanently abandon any pursuit of nuclear weapons capabilities. Iran, meanwhile, is seeking the removal of crippling economic sanctions and an end to the US naval blockade that has severely damaged its oil exports and pushed the country deeper into economic crisis.
The war has increasingly become politically sensitive inside the United States as energy prices climb and fears grow that the confrontation could evolve into a prolonged regional conflict involving multiple Gulf states.
Diplomatic talks remain ongoing behind the scenes, but the latest exchange of fire has exposed how precarious the ceasefire has become, with both Washington and Tehran continuing to prepare for the possibility of another major escalation.
