Iranian drones strike Kuwait airport after US airstrikes hit Qeshm Island

Kuwait's international airport was struck by drones and missiles on Wednesday morning, causing casualties, severe damage to some airport infrastructure, and forcing flights to be suspended or diverted, according to Kuwait's KUNA news agency. The attack on Terminal 1 forced flights to reroute to alternative locations, citing the Civil Aviation Authority.

Earlier on Tuesday, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said it had 'successfully defeated' a series of Iranian missile and drone attacks in the Gulf. CENTCOM denied claims by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) that it had struck the headquarters of the US Navy's Fifth Fleet in Bahrain and an air base in the region.

In a statement on Tuesday, CENTCOM said: 'Iran launched a number of ballistic missiles targeting neighboring countries in the region; however, all missed their targets.' Two Iranian missiles fired toward Kuwait fell apart or crashed mid-flight, and three missiles fired at Bahrain were immediately intercepted by US and Bahraini air defenses.

Later, CENTCOM said a 'subsequent wave of additional Iranian drones attempting to strike US forces in Kuwait failed to reach their intended targets,' with many drones shot down. US forces also shot down three attack drones launched by Iran 'toward civilian mariners lawfully transiting in regional waters.'

CENTCOM stressed its airstrikes targeted an 'Iranian military ground control station' on Qeshm Island and that no US personnel were wounded. Since the conflict began in late February, Iran has repeatedly struck targets in the Gulf, which hosts US military bases.

In a statement carried by the official IRNA news agency, the IRGC claimed it attacked US military facilities in retaliation for the airstrike on Qeshm Island. However, CENTCOM called the claim 'false' and asserted 'all Iranian attacks on US forces have failed.'

Al Jazeera's Kimberly Halkett, reporting from Washington, DC, said the US administration's position is that the ceasefire remains in effect. President Donald Trump, in a Truth Social post on Tuesday, dismissed media reports that negotiations with Iran were no longer ongoing, insisting that talks 'continue,' despite Iran's earlier announcement of suspending talks. Meanwhile, Iranian media reported that Tehran has had no contact with Washington in recent days.

Al Jazeera's Almigdad Alruhaid in Tehran reported that the latest Gulf tensions are described by Iran as a response to what it calls 'US aggression' against an Iranian oil tanker and IRGC communications facilities on Qeshm Island. A spokesperson for Iran's National Security Committee in parliament said 'the US understands the language of missiles more than the language of diplomacy.'

Qeshm Island lies in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route for oil and gas from the Gulf, which Tehran has effectively sealed since the US-Israel war against Iran began in late February.

These developments come more than three months after initial US and Israeli airstrikes on Iran, as the conflict has stalled under a fragile ceasefire, with the Strait of Hormuz largely closed to maritime traffic. A ceasefire was said to have taken effect between the US and Iran on April 8, but subsequent talks to reach an agreement ending the conflict permanently have failed. Iran and the US said last week they had reached a preliminary agreement to cease hostilities, but both sides have yet to ratify the deal.

Washington has now forcibly blocked six ships allegedly attempting to violate the blockade, which has been in place since April 13. Tehran said Monday that Israel's expanded campaign in Lebanon risks ending the US-Iran ceasefire. Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon on Tuesday killed five people, including a child, and wounded 48, according to Lebanon's Health Ministry.