US, Iran exchange strikes amid Trump's threat to destroy Tehran — Reuters
Iran and the United States exchange strikes (illustrative photo: Getty Images)
Iran launched missiles and drones at US military facilities in Kuwait and Bahrain on Sunday, June 28, morning. The attack came after US President Donald Trump threatened to destroy Iran's leadership, Reuters reports.
Trump's threat
The attack was preceded by a social media post from Trump in which he threatened to use military force to complete the job against Tehran.
"There may come a point when we are no longer able to be reasonable, and will be forced to militarily complete the job that we very successfully started. If that happens, the Islamic Republic of Iran will no longer exist!" the US president wrote.
Strike on bases in Bahrain and Kuwait
About an hour after Trump's statement, Kuwait's military said its air defenses were responding to missile and drone attacks. Air raid sirens sounded in Bahrain.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said its naval and air forces had launched missile operations against US military facilities in both countries.
"US strikes violated the ceasefire and will result in the complete halt of all diplomatic processes," the IRGC said. Iranian naval command added that American bases in the region would "experience hell in the coming days."
Consequences of these attacks
A US official confirmed to Reuters that Iran had attacked US facilities, but no casualties or major damage to American infrastructure in the Middle East had been reported.
Kuwait's military said it intercepted two ballistic missiles with no casualties or damage. In Bahrain, a residential building in Muharraq province was damaged during the Iranian attack. Manama appealed to the UN Security Council to convene an emergency meeting.
Separately, Qatar reported that one of its citizens died from shrapnel wounds aboard a vessel that went missing on Saturday. Another person was injured in the incident, which occurred during "military operations in the area."
US strikes on Iran
US Central Command said American forces carried out new strikes on Iran after an Iranian drone attacked a Panama-flagged tanker on Saturday, June 27.
The strikes targeted Iranian military surveillance, communications, air defense systems, drone storage facilities, and mine depots.
Peace agreement collapses
A temporary 14-point peace agreement had been intended to halt hostilities launched by the United States and Israel on February 28 and reopen the Strait of Hormuz while negotiations continued over Iran's nuclear program.
A week earlier, Switzerland hosted one round of talks mediated by US Vice President JD Vance and Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.
Washington had lifted sanctions on Tehran at the time, but fighting has since resumed.
Notably, tensions between the United States and Iran have escalated again in recent days despite the previously signed ceasefire.
Earlier, Iran had closed the Strait of Hormuz and promised hell in the Middle East.
The sides have repeatedly exchanged strikes during the so-called ceasefire period—including on June 3 and June 6, when the United States struck Iranian targets in response to launches of hostile drones toward the Strait of Hormuz.
