US Navy warships pass through the Arabian Sea in close proximity 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 a seventh consecutive night of strikes against Iran, as Kuwait and Bahrain reported attacks by Iranian projectiles and commercial shipping continued to suffer disruptions.
The fragile deal signed by the US and Iran last month has shown further signs of unraveling as the latest war continues. The interim agreement was intended to reopen the vital Strait of Hormuz and end the conflict that began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran in Feb. 28.
US Central Command said the attack, which ended at 9:30pm US Eastern Time on Friday, targeted “military infrastructure, an underground weapons storage facility, and naval forces”.
“CENTCOM continues to hold Iran accountable to the Commander in Chief while fully enforcing the embargo on Iranian shipping,” the post on X said.
The military also said its forces seized several ships in the past few days.
“During the first three days of the resumption, US forces diverted 4 commercial vessels, disabled 1, and boarded 1 to ensure full compliance,” Central Command said in a separate statement.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps said it intercepted four ships early Saturday when they tried to sail under US protection through the Strait of Hormuz.
“In a joint missile and drone operation, all four were stopped and unable to move to sea,” Iran’s IRNA News Agency quoted the IRGC Navy Command as saying on X.
Iran also appeared to continue to attack regional targets.
Kuwait said its air defense was “responding to malicious drone threats”.
It also said that an Iranian attack on its electricity and water station caused a fire but no one was injured, according to X posted by the Kuwait News Agency. It was the second attack on Kuwait’s water facilities in two days.
Kuwait is known to be highly dependent on desalination for drinking water, and about 90% of the dry nation’s water needs are met by desalination plants.
Kuwait Airways said it had rescheduled most of its flights, blaming “brutal missile and drone attacks following Iranian violence”.
The government of neighboring Bahrain said early Saturday that its air defense systems intercepted several Iranian projectiles and sounded alarm bells for civilians.
On Friday, Iran said it was targeting US forces in Syria and Bahrain.
‘Great victory in Iran’
US President Donald Trump insisted that the war with Iran is going well, saying Thursday in his first speech to the American public: “We are also winning a lot in Iran, and you will see the fruits of that work very soon.”
The US president has threatened to strike Iran’s bridges and power plants next week if the country refuses to return to the negotiating table.
Ian Lesser, a senior fellow at GMF, a Washington-based think tank, said there appears to be a danger that the US and Iran will be drawn into a so-called perpetual war.
“There’s a risk to this, but we’ve actually been in a cold and intermittent war with Iran for decades,” Lesser told CNBC via video call.
“I think in some ways this is a misjudgment of the current administration. But it’s also part of a pattern in the American way of using power, that we have great power and great ability to operate and get caught up in tactical mistakes,” he added.
Oil prices were at record highs on Friday due to ongoing unrest in the Middle East.
An international benchmark Brent crude Futures for September delivery advanced 4.6% to $88.10 a barrel on Friday, while US West Texas Intermediate futures for August delivery gained 4.5% to settle at $82.49. Both have been at their best since mid-June.
This week, both benchmarks have gained nearly 16%, with Brent on track for its third consecutive weekly gain and WTI set for a second.
– Reuters contributed to this report.
