Vessels anchored at the Strait of Hormuz. File
| Photo Credit: Reuters
The U.S. Military on Thursday (May 28, 2026) slammed Iran for violating a fragile ceasefire after Kuwait reported coming under attack in the latest flare-up that threatened ongoing negotiations to end the war.
U.S. Central Command said that Kuwait had intercepted missiles launched by Iran on late Wednesday (May 27, 2026) night, calling the Iranian attack on one of America’s top allies in the Persian Gulf an “egregious ceasefire violation”. Kuwait had earlier announced an attack on its territory, and Iran said had retaliated after strikes earlier in the week by firing on a U.S. base in an Gulf State it did not name.
The U.S. and Iran have traded strikes throughout the week, even as U.S. President Donald Trump has said he’s confident his administration is making headway in negotiations with Iran to end the war.
On Monday (May 25, 2026), the U.S. said it conducted what the Pentagon called “defensive” strikes on missile launch sites and minelaying boats in southern Iran. U.S. officials said on late Wednesday (May 27, 2026) in Washington that forces launched more strikes on Iran, shooting down four one-way attack drones that posed a threat around the strait and hitting an Iranian ground control station in Bandar Abbas that was about to launch a fifth drone.
The officials were not authorised to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard via the state-run IRNA news agency acknowledged the attack around Bandar Abbas International Airport and said it launched its own retaliatory attack on the air base that launched the assault, without specifying whether the attack referenced had targeted Kuwait.
Kuwait’s Military announced its air defence systems intercepted incoming missiles and drones on Thursday (May 28, 2026), without providing further details on what had been targeted. Home to U.S. Army Central’s forward headquarters as well as air bases and a naval base, Kuwait repeatedly came under fire from Iran and Iranian-backed Shiite militias in Iraq before the April ceasefire.
The announcement comes as the West Asia is on the edge and talks to end the war remain in flux.
Mr. Trump is looking for an agreement that will reopen the Strait of Hormuz — through which about a fifth of all traded oil and natural gas once passed. He is also seeking to get Iran to give up its stockpile of highly enriched uranium while the Islamic Republic wants economic sanctions to be lifted and frozen assets to be released to aid its shattered economy. The war has been unpopular in the U.S., and Iran’s closure of the strait has sent oil prices skyrocketing, driving up fuel prices around the world.
Published – May 28, 2026 07:00 pm IST
