Guided-missile destroyer USS Rafael Peralta patrols the Arabian Sea on May 18, 2026. (U.S. Navy)
Fighting between the United States and Iran intensified this week in one of the most serious escalations since an April ceasefire, bringing a return to deadly violence and raising fears that the two sides could slip back into open conflict.
Iran launched missiles and drones at U.S. partners in the Persian Gulf on Tuesday and Wednesday, killing at least one person in Kuwait after an attack hit the country’s international airport, resulting in a brief suspension of flights.
Kuwait’s foreign ministry on Wednesday also reported an unspecified number of injuries and damage to other “vital facilities, including diplomatic missions,” but it didn’t elaborate further.
Earlier, U.S. Central Command said two Iranian missiles launched toward Kuwait either fell short or broke apart during flight, while three missiles fired at Bahrain were intercepted by air defenses.
An additional wave of Iranian drones attempting to attack U.S. forces in Kuwait “failed to impact intended targets,” CENTCOM said, adding that multiple drones were intercepted and “no American personnel or assets were harmed.”
In response, the U.S. carried out what it described as self-defense strikes against an Iranian military ground-control station on Qeshm Island, near the Strait of Hormuz, according to U.S. Central Command.
The attacks further complicated diplomatic efforts to preserve the temporary U.S.-Iran ceasefire that took effect on April 8.
Iran this week threatened to cut off talks with the U.S. in protest of Israel’s expanded offensive against Iran-backed Hezbollah militants.
While Iran insists that its ceasefire agreement with the U.S. includes Lebanon, Israel has continued to pursue military operations, pushing deeper into the country than it has in decades.
The Israeli military said Tuesday that it had established additional positions in southern Lebanon and on Wednesday warned civilians in the southern city of Al-Kharayeb to evacuate.
The U.S.-Iran talks, mediated by regional partners including Pakistan and Qatar, are meant to extend the ceasefire and create space for negotiations on more difficult disputes that remain unresolved.
The U.S. and Iran remain far apart on several critical issues, including Iran’s nuclear program and the future of the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has effectively closed since the war started in late February.
The U.S. has set up its own naval blockade on Iran and is currently guiding commercial ships through the strait.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Congress on Tuesday that negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program could take months and will occur only after Iran reopens the waterway, which is a major sea lane for oil transport.
The negotiating process is being complicated by the slow relay of information from Iranian negotiators, who take three to five days to deliver responses to U.S. proposals, he said.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump rejected reports that Iran had stopped negotiating with the United States, saying conversations have continued for days.
“Where they lead, one never knows, but as I told Iran, ‘It’s time, one way or another, for you to make a Deal. You’ve been doing this for 47 years, and it cannot be allowed to go on any longer!’” Trump wrote.
