ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – The United States military early Wednesday said it carried out “self-defense strikes” in response to renewed Iranian missile strikes against regional countries, despite talks of a potential Washington-Tehran deal.

In the early hours of Wednesday, Iran carried out ballistic missile strikes against several targets in Kuwait, Bahrain, the UAE, and Iraq. 

“US forces successfully defeated multiple Iranian ballistic missiles and drones, and conducted self-defense strikes on Qeshm Island in response to attempted attacks by Iran across the Middle East, June 2,” the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement.

The attacks were in response to Iranian missile strikes that “failed to hit their intended targets,” according to CENTCOM. 

“Two Iranian missiles fired at Kuwait fell short or broke apart enroute, and three missiles launched at Bahrain were immediately intercepted by US and Bahrain air defense forces,” the statement added.

No American personnel were harmed in the attacks, CENTCOM noted.

On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump said that talks with Iran “have been going on continuously,” after Iranian semi-official media said no direct “exchange of messages” with the US was taking place, noting that talks had been halted “for at least a few days.”

Trump on Saturday said he is “in no hurry” to make a deal with Iran, adding that military action against the country is still on the table, as the two warring sides move closer to a potential deal.