The U.S. military attacked Iran early Wednesday after Tehran claimed it struck three ships in the Strait of Hormuz, coinciding with an American move to restrict the Islamic Republic’s ability to openly sell crude oil on the global market. In response, Iran conducted strikes targeting Bahrain and Kuwait.
This regional escalation heightened concerns that a potential interim agreement intended to halt fighting could collapse, placing the Middle East at risk of broader conflict. However, these attacks followed a pattern seen during the fragile ceasefire, and neither nation immediately indicated it would withdraw from negotiations.
The incidents involving shipping attacks and subsequent strikes occurred during the multi-day funeral for Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who died on February 28 at age 86 during the war's initial stages. The funeral, concluding Thursday, was anticipated to be a period of reduced tension, though mourners have repeatedly called for the deaths of U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Discussions aimed at finalizing an agreement were scheduled to commence after Khamenei’s burial, focusing on contentious issues such as fully reopening the strait and reversing Tehran's disputed nuclear program. These new attacks cast doubt on that timeline.
Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf stated on X, “The era of bullying and extortion is over. It leads nowhere. We don’t fold.”
**Overnight US strikes target Iran**
The U.S. military's Central Command reported that American forces launched the strikes "to impose heavy costs for targeting and attacking commercial shipping crewed by innocent civilians in an international waterway."
The command stated that it struck Iranian targets, including air defense systems, radars, and more than 60 small boats utilized by Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. These boats have been instrumental in harassing vessels within the strait.
The U.S. military added that it remains "postured and prepared to hold Iran accountable when the agreement is not adhered to or obeyed," noting that this round of attacks had concluded.
Iran acknowledged the strikes but provided no information regarding losses. Iranian state media reported observing explosions in Bandar Abbas, Qeshm, and Sirik.
On Wednesday morning, both Bahrain, which hosts the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet, and Kuwait, home to U.S. Army forces, sounded missile alerts. The Guard released a statement confirming targeting of U.S. military installations in both nations.
The statement claimed that "the child-killing and terrorist U.S. army ... openly violated the ceasefire and violated the Islamabad understanding by launching an airstrike on a number of coastal bases and civilian stations on the coasts of Hormozgan and Mahshahr provinces," while not addressing the attacks on ships in the strait.
Bahrain sounded its alert for a second time later Wednesday morning.
A similar sequence of Iranian shipping attacks followed by U.S. retaliatory strikes took place late last month, which also resulted in Iranian actions against Bahrain and Kuwait. The Wednesday strikes occurred while Trump was attending a NATO military alliance summit in Turkey.
Anwar Gargash, a senior diplomat from the United Arab Emirates, described Iran’s Wednesday attacks on Bahrain and Kuwait as "a clear indicator that Tehran remains incapable of committing to the requirements of de-escalation and turning the page on war." He wrote that "The Gulf Arab states cannot remain a target for Iran’s wavering between the logic of escalation and the path of rationality, stability and peace."
**US revokes license for the sale of Iranian oil**
Additionally, the U.S. revoked a license that was part of the interim deal authorizing the sale of Iranian oil. This license had previously allowed Iran to conduct oil sales openly on the international market in U.S. dollars for the first time in years. Iran had long been suspected of selling sanctioned crude oil below market rates to China.
This decision followed the attacks on shipping. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center reported that one tanker was hit and caught fire off the coast of Oman. Iranian state television stated the liquefied natural gas tanker came under attack after disregarding warnings but did not directly claim responsibility for the assault.
The U.K. maritime agency noted that the other two ships sustained some damage but no injuries, and both continued through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has maintained control over the Strait since the war began, disrupting global energy markets as one-fifth of all traded oil and natural gas passes through the channel in peacetime. The ships attacked on Tuesday appeared to be using a route near Oman’s shore, rather than one directed by Tehran.
Tehran has repeatedly asserted that only its designated route through the strait is safe and is suspected of attacking other vessels that have used the Oman route.
Majed al-Ansari, spokesperson for the Qatari Foreign Ministry, stated that the Qatari tanker Al Rekayyat was targeted in an "unacceptable attack" on international navigation and global energy security. He asserted that Qatar, a key mediator alongside Pakistan in the talks, holds Iran "fully legally responsible."
As part of the interim deal, Iran and the United States agreed to permit ships passage without charges for 60 days. However, Tehran insisted it must control vessel routes and subsequently charge fees for transit, which would overturn decades of practice in the waterway. The U.S. and many Gulf Arab states oppose Iran imposing passage fees through the strait.
**Mourners attend Khamenei funeral services in Iraq**
Funeral ceremonies for Khamenei began Wednesday in Najaf, an Iraqi city. Attending these services are Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and other Iranian officials, alongside Iraqi figures including Prime Minister Ali Falah al-Zaidi. Funeral prayers will also take place later at the Imam Hussein shrine in Karbala.
Khamenei’s son, Iran's new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, has not yet appeared at the ceremonies, which commenced Saturday in Tehran. He is believed to be in hiding after reportedly sustaining injuries in the airstrike that killed his father.
Khamenei will subsequently return to Iran for burial on Thursday at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad, his birthplace.