Iran launched a ballistic missile at a US military base in Kuwait late Wednesday in retaliation for the American military knocking out Iranian drones in the Strait of Hormuz.
The Iranian missile was intercepted by Kuwaiti forces, according to US Central Command (CENTCOM), which added that the US operation to take out Iranian drones had also been successful.
“This egregious ceasefire violation by the Iranian regime occurred hours after Iranian forces launched five one-way attack drones that posed a clear threat in and near the Strait of Hormuz,” CENTCOM said in a social media statement Thursday.
“All drones were successfully intercepted by US forces which also prevented a sixth drone launch from an Iranian ground control site in Bandar Abbas,” added the Tampa, Fla.-based combat command.
“US Central Command and regional partners remain vigilant and measured as we continue to defend our forces and interests from unjustified Iranian aggression.”
A US Navy guided-missile destroyer has enforced a blockade against Iranian ports after a tanker attempted to sail toward the country. CENTCOM / SWNSKuwait’s foreign ministry branded the Iranian attack a “blatant violation of sovereignty and security” for which it said Tehran was fully responsible.
The statement also expressed Kuwait’s “strongest condemnation and denunciation of the criminal Iranian attacks that targeted the territory of the state of Kuwait with missiles and drones in a dangerous escalation” and called for their immediate cessation.
Neighboring Gulf states Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates all also condemned the missile launch, with the UAE branding it a “terrorist attack” by Iran.
UAE’s message condemning the attack on Kuwait. UAE Ministry of Foreign AffairsAll three described the strike as “a flagrant violation” of Kuwait’s sovereignty, and expressed “full solidarity” with their neighbor and “support for all measures” it takes to preserve its security, sovereignty, and stability, in statements shared by their foreign ministries.
The strike was also condemned by the head of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Jasem Mohamed Al-Budaiwi.
“The secretary-general pointed out that the continuation of these treacherous attacks is a flagrant violation of the principles of international law, the Charter of the United Nations, and the principles of good neighborliness,” the GCC told Al Jazeera.
Iranian missiles are displayed at the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force Museum in Tehran. via REUTERS“His Excellency affirmed the GCC countries’ full support for the state of Kuwait in all measures it takes to preserve its security and stability, and the safety of its citizens and residents,” the statement continued.
Oil prices rose by up to 4% while bond prices fell in the wake of Iran’s escalation, which dented investor confidence in a quick peace deal.
Brent crude peaked at nearly $96 per barrel in overnight trading, down from the $126-per-barrel high from late April, but still 33% above pre-war levels and 50% higher than this time in 2025.
