New exchange of fire with Iran in Gulf tests fragile ceasefire

Cairo, Jun 6: Iran fired ballistic missiles and drones toward Bahrain and Kuwait early Saturday, Bahrain’s government said, adding that they were intercepted. It called on Tehran to immediately cease attacks on Gulf neighbours that it deemed a “serious escalation.” Iran’s foreign ministry said the US early Saturday attacked surveillance facilities on Qeshm Island and near Sirik that it said were used to protect borders and “ensure the security of navigation in international waters.” Tehran called the attack a violation of the fragile ceasefire. The latest exchange of fire came as the Trump administration pressed Iran to make a deal to end the war that has strained the global economy and threatened a hunger crisis in some of the world’s most vulnerable countries. Iran said it targeted the US military The US military earlier said it shot down several Iranian missiles and drones launched toward the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf Arab allies, and struck some of the Islamic Republic’s coastal surveillance radar sites in response. “The attack drones posed an immediate threat to regional maritime traffic,” US Central Command said on social media. It confirmed it hit radar sites, including an island in the strait, “to defend against further attacks.” Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said it targeted the Ali Al Salem air base, which hosts US forces in Kuwait, and the US Navy’s 5th Fleet in Bahrain, according to the state-run IRNA news agency. The US military said there were no reports of harm to US personnel. Earlier in the week, Iranian drones heavily damaged a passenger terminal at Kuwait’s main airport, killing one person and wounding dozens. The US military kept up its blockade on Iranian ports in response to Tehran’s chokehold on the crucial corridor for global oil and natural gas shipments, which has sent energy prices spiking and posed political problems for President Donald Trump’s Republican Party ahead of midterm congressional elections. Trump promises a quick end to the US-Iran conflict Despite concerns that the ceasefire could collapse, Trump told reporters Friday that “the situation with Iran seems to be going quite well.” He told an event that “we’re going to come out of Iran very quickly and it’s going to be very strong one way or the other, whether it’s a piece of paper or the very tough way.” Trump increasingly appears to be boxed in on the war. US and Iranian negotiators reached a tentative agreement a week ago to extend the ceasefire by 60 days and start a new round of talks on Iran’s nuclear programme. But Trump has called for unspecified changes, and Iranian officials have shown no public sign of agreeing to the deal. Asked on Friday why it was taking so long, Trump told NBC’s “Meet the Press” it was because “it’s a very hard thing for them.” He added that the Iranians still have 21 per cent to 22 per cent of their missiles. One of the war’s stated aims was to destroy Tehran’s missile programme. The ongoing fighting in Lebanon, where Israeli forces have seized large swaths of the south while saying it targets the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group, also challenges efforts to end the Iran war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has demanded that any lasting truce extend to Lebanon. The Trump administration has touted the latest ceasefire agreed to earlier in the week by the Lebanese government and Israel after US-brokered talks in Washington. However, Hezbollah has rejected the agreement. Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon on Saturday killed nine people, including three members of the Lebanese military, the Lebanese army and state media said. Israel’s military said it was reviewing the incident and that it operates against Hezbollah and not the Lebanese army.