Kuwait intercepted an Iranian ballistic missile after new U.S. strikes on Iranian drone operations, further testing a fragile ceasefire.
Kuwaiti forces intercepted an Iranian ballistic missile launched toward Kuwait, U.S. Central Command said, in a fresh exchange of fire that tested a fragile ceasefire after another round of U.S. strikes on Iranian drone operations.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard said it fired in retaliation at a U.S. base used in the overnight attacks. CENTCOM said there were no reports of a U.S. base being hit, and described the American strikes as defensive actions after Iranian drones posed a threat in and near the Strait of Hormuz.
The incident adds new pressure to already strained diplomacy aimed at extending the ceasefire and reopening the strategically important waterway. The Strait of Hormuz remains central to the standoff because Iran has sought to impose conditions on commercial ships transiting the passage, while the Trump administration has warned that payments to Tehran would violate U.S. sanctions.
CENTCOM said Iran launched the missile at 10:17 p.m. ET on May 27 and that it was “successfully intercepted by Kuwaiti forces.” The command also said Iranian forces had launched five one-way attack drones that were intercepted by U.S. forces, and that U.S. forces prevented a sixth launch from an Iranian ground control site in Bandar Abbas.
Iranian state television gave a different account of the U.S. strikes, saying they hit an empty area and caused no damage. It also claimed Iranian forces had detained two commercial vessels after four ships tried to enter the Persian Gulf with their navigation systems turned off. Those claims were not independently verified in the supplied reporting.
The Gulf Cooperation Council condemned what it called continued “criminal Iranian attacks” on Kuwait. Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, the bloc’s secretary-general, said the GCC supported Kuwait in measures to protect its security, stability and residents.
There are multiple U.S. military installations in Kuwait, including air bases, but the available reporting did not identify any impact on American facilities. Kuwait’s military had said earlier that its air defenses were working against incoming projectiles, without initially specifying where they originated.
President Donald Trump, meanwhile, said Iran was “negotiating on fumes” and left open the possibility that U.S. forces could “go back and finish it” if talks fail. Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar is expected to meet Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington on Friday, with Pakistan having served as a conduit for proposals to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and resume direct negotiations over issues including Iran’s nuclear program.
The immediate next test is whether the latest missile launch and U.S. strikes derail those talks or produce another round of military action around the Gulf. For now, U.S. officials say regional forces remain on alert, while Iran continues to insist it is prepared to keep fighting.
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