US and Iran exchange strikes in Gulf as ceasefire tested; Iran launches seven missiles, US shoots down drones

The exact number of Iranian missiles launched and intercepted varies slightly between sources, with some reporting seven missiles and others noting the seventh failed to reach its target.

The exact number of Iranian drones shot down varies between sources, with some reporting four drones and others not specifying the number.

Iran launched ballistic missiles and drones toward Kuwait and Bahrain, prompting air defense responses in both nations. The US military intercepted Iranian missiles and drones targeting the Strait of Hormuz and allies, striking Iranian radar sites in response. These actions escalate tensions between Tehran and Washington amid ongoing regional confrontations.

Bahrain, home to the headquarters of the U.S. Fifth Fleet, denounced the attacks against its territory and neighbouring Kuwait

The US claims to have intercepted Iranian drones before launching missile strikes on what it described as "radar sites" in the south of Iran.

The US military says it struck Iranian drones and radar sites. Tehran responds by targeting US bases in Kuwait and Bahrain.

New attacks in the Middle East on Friday threatened to unravel an already fragile US-Iran ceasefire. Weeks of complex talks marked by threats and flare-ups of violence have failed to secure a deal to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a key conduit for global energy flows. A ceasefire in the Middle East war, triggered nearly 100 days ago by US and Israeli strikes that wiped out Iran’s top leadership, has been in place since April 8. But tensions surged again on Friday when the US military said it struck radar sites in Iran after downing drones headed toward the strait. Shortly after, air raid sirens sounded in neighboring Gulf nations Kuwait and Bahrain — both US allies — and AFP correspondents in both countries heard explosions. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said early on Saturday they had targeted “enemy bases in the area” with missiles in response to a US “invasion” of the country’s Sirik and Qeshm islands. US Central Command (Centcom) said Iran launched seven ballistic missiles toward Kuwait and Bahrain. Centcom said six of the missiles were downed while the seventh “did not reach its intended target”. “There are currently no reports of harm to US personnel, and Iranian claims of damaging US 5th fleet headquarters in Bahrain are false,” the command said in a statement. The latest flare-up came despite the United States moving ahead with allowing Iran’s national football team to travel to the FIFA World Cup it is co-hosting with Canada and Mexico. US Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack confirmed the visa issuances, saying that “sports transcends borders, and we look forward to welcoming competitors and fans from around the world”. However, Iran’s Fars news agency reported that visas had yet to be issued for some members of the team’s “technical and executive staff”. An unnamed US administration official said in a statement: “We will not allow the Iranian team to abuse this system to sneak terrorists into the United States under false pretenses.” The team is due to fly from Turkey to Spain on Saturday before traveling on to their base camp in Mexico, where they will arrive on Sunday. Trading strikes Earlier Friday, Centcom said its forces also downed four Iranian drones headed toward the Strait of Hormuz before striking Iranian coastal radar installations in Goruk and on Qeshm Island. “The attack drones posed an immediate threat to regional maritime traffic,” while the strikes on radar installations “defend against further attacks,” it said in a statement. Iranian state television IRIB reported early on Saturday, local time, that “several explosions were heard” in Sirik in southern Iran at around 2:30am (2300 GMT Friday). “Following the invasion of the child-killing and terrorist US army into Sirik and Qeshm Island, enemy bases in the region were hit by aerial missiles,” IRIB reported, quoting the Guards after the US strikes on Iran. Kuwait’s military said early on Saturday it was responding to “hostile” missile and drone attacks, days after a strike on the country’s international airport killed one and wounded dozens. “Kuwaiti air defenses are currently responding to hostile missile and drone attacks,” the military said on X, without specifying their origin. US President Donald Trump told NBC News on Friday that Iran still retained roughly “21, 22 per cent” of its missile stockpile despite repeated claims from US officials that Tehran’s military capacity had been crippled. That figure was higher than the 18pc Trump gave in May. Lebanon asks for ‘mercy’ Efforts to turn the truce into a lasting settlement have repeatedly stalled, while the conflict has rattled global markets and increased political pressure on Trump at home ahead of midterm elections. “The negotiations are at a deadlock and Trump must break this deadlock,” Mohsen Rezaei, military adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, told CNN in an interview on Friday, as he called for the release of frozen Iranian assets to the tune of “$24 billion”. Lebanon — which was drawn into the Middle East war when Hezbollah attacked Israel on March 2 — called on Friday for Iran to stop interfering in its affairs. Israel and Hezbollah traded attacks after a new truce deal was flatly rejected by the group. Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam addressed Iran’s leaders in frank terms during a press conference, saying: “Have mercy on our south, stop treating it and its people as merely a bargaining chip.” “We are the people of a sovereign nation that refuses to serve as … an open battlefield for their wars.” Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi took aim at similar criticism from Lebanese President Joseph Aoun early on Saturday, calling on him to save Lebanon from its “real foe”. Iran, in peace negotiations with Washington, has insisted that the fighting in Lebanon and the war in the Gulf are inextricably linked.

US military officials on Saturday said Iran launched seven ballistic missiles toward the neighboring Gulf nations of Kuwait and Bahrain, with US forces intercepting six of the missiles and a seventh failing to reach its target. Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they had hit "enemy bases" in the Gulf. Follow our liveblog for the latest updates.

The exchange of strikes comes as the Trump administration ramps up pressure on Iran to make a deal to end the conflict.

Kuwait reported intercepting drones while Bahrain sounded air-raid sirens. This came after the United States said it shot down Iranian drones and attacked radar sites. Follow DW for more.

Kuwait reported intercepting drones while Bahrain sounded air sirens. This came after the US said it shot down Iranian drones, and attacked radar sites. Follow DW for more.

Kuwait says it’s responding to ‘hostile’ missile and drone attacks; Trump says Iran has ‘22%’ of missiles left

It was the latest in back-and-forth attacks that have strained the tenuous ceasefire in the war and efforts to reach a deal to extend that truce.