Iran attacks Bahrain and Kuwait following US strikes and threatens to
halt talks
[June 29, 2026]
By JON GAMBRELL and MELANIE LIDMAN
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran again launched drone and missile
attacks targeting Bahrain and Kuwait on Sunday following new U.S.
airstrikes against the Islamic Republic, and threatened a “complete
halt” in negotiations to end the war if Washington continues its
attacks.
Efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz without Iran's oversight has
sparked days of crossfire. A multinational maritime body overseen by the
U.S. Navy said Saturday it would expand a route near Oman for inbound
and outbound traffic.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Sunday reiterated the claim
that Tehran must govern the strait to the Persian Gulf that once carried
a fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas.
“Any attempt to establish new or separate arrangements from those
currently being carried out by the Islamic Republic of Iran will only
lead to further complications, delay the reopening of the Strait of
Hormuz and increase the level of tension,” Araghchi said.
The strait has long been considered an international waterway despite
its location in Iran and Oman's territorial waters. In recent days, Iran
has twice attacked vessels going through a route near the Omani side.
Pakistan, a key mediator, has said talks would resume Tuesday between
the U.S. and Iran on the terms of their interim deal. The Trump
administration on Sunday said nothing has been canceled and technical
talks are on track for the coming days.
Talks include arrangements around the strait, the removal of a U.S.
blockade on Iranian ports and sanctions on Iran, and the future of
Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium. The two sides have 60 days
from their signing of the memorandum of understanding earlier this month
to work out details.
Continued conflict in Lebanon threatens the agreement, which says
fighting must end on all fronts before certain issues can be discussed.
Strikes target Gulf states hosting US military
Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard claimed responsibility for the
attacks in Bahrain and Kuwait.
Kuwait, which hosts a major U.S. military base, said air defenses
intercepted Iranian drones and two missiles just after the U.S. strikes
in Iran. There were no reports of injuries or damage.
Bahrain said the Iranian strikes damaged a residential building near the
international airport and no one was killed. Bahrain is home to the U.S.
Navy’s 5th Fleet. The damaged building was not near its headquarters.
Bahrain’s Foreign Ministry denounced what it called “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."
Later on Sunday, Qatar said a civilian had been killed, and another
person was hurt, by shrapnel related to “military operations in the
area" after a vessel didn't return at its scheduled time on Saturday. It
did not give details.
Trump accuses Iran of violating ceasefire
The U.S. military said it struck Iranian military “surveillance
infrastructure, communication systems, air defense sites, drone storage
facilities and minelayer capabilities” following an attack on a ship on
Saturday. The Panamanian-flagged tanker Kiku carried crude oil for the
state-run energy company of Qatar, another key mediator.
U.S. President Donald Trump on social media accused Iran of violating
the deal and warned of a point where the U.S. may "be forced to
militarily complete the job.”
“If that happens, the Islamic Republic of Iran will no longer exist!”
Trump wrote.
The exchanges of fire began when an Iranian drone struck a merchant
vessel off Oman on Thursday and the U.S. military retaliated.
[to top of second column]
|
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, center, arrives to meet his
Iraqi counterpart Fouad Hussein in Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, June 28,
2026. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)
Ship traffic on the strait had increased over the past 72 hours,
“despite the elevated threat environment,” the multinational
maritime body overseen by the U.S. Navy said Sunday, adding that
“U.S.-assisted commercial transits continued uninterrupted."
It said 89 such transits had been made, below the historical average
of 138 vessels a day.
Iran calls for new ‘conflict control unit’ in Lebanon
Last week, Israel and Lebanon signed a framework agreement to end
the latest fighting between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah
militant group, which began two days after the Iran war started when
Hezbollah fired at Israel. Israel has responded with an invasion of
southern Lebanon and it has said it will not withdraw until
Hezbollah is disarmed.
The agreement did not include Iran or Hezbollah, which has
criticized it and rejected calls to disarm.
On Sunday, Iran's foreign minister again said the U.S. must force
Israel to halt attacks and withdraw. Israel occupies around 600
square kilometers (231 square miles) in southern Lebanon, which it
says it needs as a security buffer.
Sporadic clashes have continued, and Hezbollah's leader said
Saturday that the group would continue fighting until Israel
withdraws from Lebanon.
Key Iranian negotiator and parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher
Qalibaf said Sunday that a meeting of a new “conflict control unit”
formed among Iran, the United States and Lebanon should meet as soon
as possible, Iran's state broadcaster reported.
Two strikes hit southern Lebanon on Sunday morning — one in Taybeh
town and the other in the Nabatiyeh area, according to Lebanon’s
National News Agency. There was no immediate word on casualties.
Overnight, Hezbollah militants killed an Israeli soldier in Deir
Siryan village in southern Lebanon, according to Israel's military.
Hezbollah did not comment.
Israel targets a village in Syria
Israel's military targeted Abdin village in southern Syria’s Daraa
province with artillery shelling Sunday evening, Syrian state media
reported. There was no immediate report of casualties.
The provincial government of Daraa said in a statement that
residents of the village had thrown rocks at an Israeli convoy when
it advanced on the village, and that the troops withdrew after U.N.
peacekeepers intervened. It said the Israeli artillery shelling
drove Abdin's residents to flee the village.
Earlier on Sunday, Israel's military said it had killed several
armed men in southern Syria but gave no details. There was no
statement from Syrian officials.
Israel seized control of a U.N.-patrolled buffer zone in southern
Syria in December 2024 following the ouster of former Syrian
President Bashar Assad in an insurgent offensive. Israeli officials
initially called the move temporary, but more recently they have
said they plan to occupy the zone indefinitely.
___
Lidman reported from Tel Aviv, Israel. Associated Press writers
Sally Abou AlJoud and Abby Sewell in Beirut and Josh Boak in
Washington contributed to this report.
All contents © copyright 2026 Associated Press. All rights reserved |
