U.S. Navy warships pass near the Arabian Sea as CENTCOM forces continue to promote regional security and stability, June 30, 2026.
Source: US Navy
The US military said early Saturday it had ended the seventh consecutive night of attacks against Iran, as Kuwait and Bahrain reported attacks by Iranian projectiles and commercial shipping faced continued disruption.
The fragile ceasefire signed by the US and Iran last month shows further signs of unraveling as the latest round of fighting continues. The interim agreement was aimed at reopening the strategically important Strait of Hormuz and ending the conflict that began with the US and Israeli attacks on Iran on February 28.
US Central Command said the strikes, which ended at 9:30 pm US Eastern Time on Friday, “military logistics infrastructureunderground weapons storage, and maritime capabilities”.
“CENTCOM continues to hold Iran accountable at the direction of the Commander in Chief by implementing a full naval blockade against Iranian ports,” a post on X said.
The military also said its forces had intercepted several shipping vessels in recent days.
“During the first three days of the renewed implementation, U.S. forces have redirected 4 commercial vessels, disabled 1, and boarded 1 to ensure full compliance,” Central Command said in a separate statement. statement.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps said it blocked four ships early Saturday as they attempted to proceed under US protection through the Strait of Hormuz.
“In a coordinated missile and drone operation, all four were intercepted and immobilized at sea,” Iran’s IRNA news agency quoted the IRGC Navy Command as saying. Post On X.
Iran also appeared to continue its attacks on regional targets.
Kuwait said its air defenses were “responding to hostile drone threats”.
It also talks about Iranian attack on it electricity and water distillation station According to an ex-post by Kuwait News Agency, a fire broke out but there were no casualties. It was the second attack on Kuwait’s water facilities in two days.
Kuwait is known Relying heavily on desalination for drinking water, about 90% of the arid nation’s water demand is met through seawater desalination plants.
Kuwait Airways said this rescheduled most of its flightsBlamed “hostile missile and drone attacks following Iranian aggression”.
The government of neighboring Bahrain said early Saturday that its air defense systems intercepted several Iranian projectiles and sounded sirens to warn residents.
On Friday, Iran claimed that it had targeted US military forces in Syria and Bahrain.
‘Big victory in Iran’
The US President had threatened to attack Iran’s bridges and power plants next week if it refused to return to the negotiating table.
Ian Lesser, distinguished fellow at GMF, a Washington-based think tank, said the US and Iran appear to be in danger of slipping into a so-called forever war.
“There is a risk of it, but certainly we were essentially in a cold and sometimes hot war with Iran for decades,” Lesser told CNBC via video call.
He said, “I think in some ways it’s a misjudgment by the current administration. But it’s also part of a pattern in the American approach to the use of force, that we have tremendous capability and tremendous operational skill and we are troubled by strategic mistakes.”
Oil prices rose sharply on Friday due to the ongoing unrest in the Middle East.
international benchmark crude oil Futures for September delivery rose 4.6% to $88.10 a barrel on Friday, while US West Texas Intermediate futures for August delivery rose 4.5% to $82.49. Both were at their highest levels since mid-June.
For the week, both benchmarks rose about 16%, with Brent on track for its third consecutive weekly gain and WTI notching up its second.
– Reuters contributed to this report.