A ship remains anchored in the Strait of Hormuz near Larak Island, Iran, on May 16, 2026. Negotiations between the United States and Iran over the opening of the vital waterway have largely stalled as the two sides mutually reject proposals to end the war that began when the United States and Israel attacked Iran on February 28.
Majid Saidi | Getty Images News | Getty Images
U.S. Central Command said Tuesday it had launched defensive strikes in response to an “attempted attack” by Iran that destroyed multiple ballistic missiles and drones, the latest in a series of attacks that further threaten the fragile ceasefire.
Iran launched several ballistic missiles toward its regional neighbors, but none of them hit their intended targets, CENTCOM said in a statement. Two Iranian missiles fired at Kuwait either failed or broke apart, and three missiles fired at Bahrain were immediately intercepted by the US and Bahrain’s air defenses, Iran said.
The US also shot down three unidirectional attack drones that Iran fired at civilian sailors passing through nearby waters, the statement said. The US military also conducted a self-defense strike against an Iranian ground control base on Qeshm Island.
Three months later, the regional conflict has reached a stalemate as the United States and Iran have repeatedly failed to turn a fragile ceasefire into a durable peace deal.
Iran is reportedly considering a cease-and-war deal proposed by the Trump administration but has not been in touch with the US government in recent days, Iranian media reported on Tuesday, while US President Donald Trump said negotiations were ongoing.
Tensions on the ground have been rising in recent weeks. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards used missiles and drones to attack the U.S. Fifth Fleet headquarters, air base and helicopters in the area in response to what the Revolutionary Guards said was a U.S. attack on communications towers south of Qeshm Island, Reuters reported on Wednesday, citing Iranian media.
The Revolutionary Guards Navy also targeted a ship it identified as Panaya with a missile in retaliation for a U.S. projectile attack on an Iranian tanker near the Strait of Hormuz, damaging its engine room, Reuters reported.
Governments in the Gulf region reported drone attacks on Wednesday, with Kuwait’s air defense forces facing “hostile missile and drone attacks,” but the country called on its citizens to abide by the security and safety directives in place.
Bahrain’s interior ministry also sounded warning sirens urging residents to evacuate.
