Kuwait and Bahrain face incoming missiles after US strikes on Iran
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- U.S. Central Command launched strikes early Wednesday hitting Iranian air defense systems, radars, and more than 60 Revolutionary Guard boats used to harass shipping, after Iran allegedly struck three commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
- Iran retaliated with strikes targeting Bahrain, home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet, and Kuwait, home to U.S. Army forces — both of which sounded missile alerts and were similarly targeted in Iranian attacks just last month.
- The United States also revoked the license letting Iran sell oil openly in U.S. dollars on the international market, stripping Tehran of a key interim-deal concession.
- Iran's military command warned it "will respond decisively to this aggression" and "under no circumstances" permit others to manage the Strait of Hormuz, while Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf declared: "The era of bullying and extortion is over... We don't fold."
- Qatar held Iran "fully legally responsible" for striking the Qatari tanker Al Rekayyat, with Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari calling it "an unacceptable attack on international navigation and global energy security."
- The strikes hit during the dayslong funeral for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, killed Feb. 28 at age 86 in the war's opening hours, jeopardizing negotiations that had been scheduled to begin after his burial Thursday.
Why it matters: The strikes landed during Khamenei's funeral period, killing any near-term chance of restarting final-deal talks and raising the risk that the interim agreement breaks down entirely. By simultaneously revoking Iran's oil-sale license, Washington is cutting Tehran off from hard-currency revenue at the exact moment Iran is retaliating against two Gulf states hosting American forces, putting roughly one-fifth of globally traded oil and gas at renewed risk.
