Gulf tensions escalate as Iran hits Kuwait, US strikes near Hormuz

DUBAI/WASHINGTON, June 3 (Reuters): Gulf hostilities flared again on Wednesday as Iranian attacks on Kuwait damaged its airport and injured dozens while the U.S. military carried out strikes near the Strait of Hormuz, with diplomacy to halt the war showing little sign of progress.
The attacks are the latest to test a shaky ceasefire, sending oil prices up more than 2%, as the strait remains largely closed more than three months after the U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Iran.
Flights at Kuwait International Airport were suspended after an Iranian drone and missile attack damaged airport facilities and diplomatic missions, killing one person and injuring more than 60 others, according to Kuwaiti authorities and state media.
The civil aviation authority said Kuwait Airways was resuming flights from Terminal 4, after evaluating damage and taking safety measures.
Bahrain's army said it had intercepted three missiles and several drones, as Iran said it had attacked the headquarters of the U.S. Fifth Fleet in the country, as well as an airbase and helicopters in another, unspecified, regional state.
The U.S. military said two Iranian missiles aimed at Kuwait fell short or broke up in flight, while several ballistic missiles failed to strike their targets in the region.
Since the conflict began on February 28, Iran has repeatedly attacked targets in the Gulf region home to U.S. military bases, hitting civilian and military targets.
Hostilities have occasionally flared up since a ceasefire was agreed in early April, as the U.S. has pushed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a route that handled roughly a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments before the war.
Last week, Iran and the U.S. signalled progress towards a tentative initial agreement to halt the war and reopen the strait, but the two sides have yet to sign off on the deal, which would leave more complex negotiations for later.
Mohsen Rezaei, military adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, said on Tuesday Iran would not allow the U.S. to "overreach" either in negotiations or ceasefire arrangements.
In a post on X, he warned that any aggression would be met with a barrage of missiles and drones.
Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the UAE president, said repeated attacks on Kuwait and Bahrain required a firm, unified and cohesive Gulf response. "The aggression does not target one country alone, but all of us," he wrote on X.
In further signs of escalation, the U.S. military said it had downed drones targeting civilian ships in regional waters and U.S. forces in Kuwait, and had carried out strikes on Qeshm Island near the Strait of Hormuz after attempted attacks by Iran.