Kuwait comes under fire as US and Iran trade blows

DUBAI – Iran said it had attacked a US airbase following weekend American strikes on Iranian military targets, and Kuwait said on June 1 it had come under fire, despite a fragile ceasefire and diplomatic efforts to end three months of war.

Oil prices rose more than 3 per cent after the latest strikes, with tensions also fuelled by Israel ordering troops to move farther into Lebanon against Tehran-backed Hezbollah, in a conflict that was reignited by the US-Israeli war against Iran.

US President Donald Trump reiterated that he believes Tehran wants to reach a deal. But hopes of a breakthrough were tempered by comments by Iranian officials criticising the “constantly changing” US negotiating stance and condemning Israeli attacks in Lebanon, where a ceasefire is also in place.

“Violation on one front is a violation of the ceasefire on all fronts. The US and Israel are responsible for the consequences of any violation,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on X.

Fraying ceasefires

The war, launched by the US and Israel on Feb 28, has killed thousands of people, mainly in Iran and Lebanon.

It has also caused global economic pain by pushing up energy prices after Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global supply route for oil and liquefied natural gas.

Iran and the US have sporadically traded blows despite their ceasefire, which has been in place since early April, while Pakistan has been trying to mediate a durable peace agreement.

The US military said it had at the weekend struck Iranian air defences, a ground control station and two drones that were threatening ships after “aggressive Iranian actions”, including shooting down a US drone over international waters.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said on June 1 it had targeted an airbase used by the US in response to an attack on southern Iran.

It did not identify the base, but Kuwait activated air defences on June 1 and denounced Iranian missile and drone attacks, which it said were undermining efforts to reduce tensions in the region.

US forces intercepted two Iranian ballistic missiles targeting American forces based in Kuwait late on May 31, the military said on June 1, adding that no American personnel were harmed.

Stop negative chirping, Trump says

In a late-night social media post, Trump said Iran “really wants to make a deal”.

He berated critics, including what he described as “seemingly unpatriotic Republicans”, for negative “chirping” about negotiations to end the conflict.

“Just sit back and relax. It will all work out well in the end. It always does!” he said.

But Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei on June 1 accused Washington of sending contradictory messages, and said this would not work as a negotiating tactic.

“Negotiations have started amid severe suspicion and mistrust, and the exchange of messages is taking place in this atmosphere,” Baghaei said.

“The other party is constantly changing its views and putting forward new or contradictory demands. It is natural that this situation will prolong negotiations,” he said.

He added that Tehran views Israeli actions in the region, including in Lebanon, as inseparable from those of the US.

At odds over several issues

Trump is under pressure to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and get US petrol prices down before congressional elections set for November, with voters showing increasing frustration over rising prices.

At ​the same time, he faces a potential backlash from Iran hawks in his own party over any concessions to Tehran.

Trump has said his main aim in the war is to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon with its highly enriched uranium. Tehran denies planning to develop a nuclear arsenal.

The two sides remain at odds on several other issues, such as Tehran’s demands for the lifting of sanctions and the release of tens of billions of dollars of Iranian oil revenues frozen in foreign banks.

Iran also wants the US to lift a blockade of its ports, imposed after Tehran blocked the Strait of Hormuz.

Iranian state media reported on June 1 that 15 vessels, including four oil tankers, had passed through the strait in the past 24 hours after obtaining permission and being coordinated and secured by the Revolutionary Guards Navy.

Shipping executives meeting in Athens on June 1 said any peace deal would need to offer clear rules allowing vessels to resume normal business via the strait.

US plan for Israel and Lebanon

Israel’s war in Lebanon with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia is another impediment.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on May 31 he ordered troops to move farther into Lebanon in the battle against Hezbollah.

Netanyahu on June 1 ordered the military to attack targets in Beirut’s southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold.

His office accused Hezbollah of repeated violations of a ceasefire agreed in late April.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with both Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Netanyahu on the diplomatic negotiations between Israel and Lebanon, and has proposed a plan to allow for “gradual de-escalation”, a US official said. REUTERS