ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Tehran and Washington traded fire in the early hours of Saturday, with Iranian missiles and drones targeting Kuwait and Bahrain after US forces struck Iran’s Qeshm Island, targeting “coastal surveillance radar sites.”

The attacks were part of a broader escalation in which Iran and US forces traded strikes across the region, with both sides blaming each other for the offensive. 

US Central Command (CENTCOM) forces “intercepted multiple Iranian ballistic missiles and drones launched by Iran toward the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf neighbors,” read a statement from the command on Saturday. 

Tehran launched “seven ballistic missiles toward Kuwait and Bahrain” hours after US forces shot down four Iranian drones launched toward the Strait of Hormuz, CENTCOM said, adding that US forces later struck “Iranian coastal surveillance radar sites in Goruk and on Qeshm Island” to defend against further maritime attacks.

No casualties have been reported so far, the command added, while rejecting any claims to the contrary.

“Initial assessments indicate that six of the missiles launched by Iran were intercepted, while a seventh did not reach its intended target,” the US forces said, adding that no casualties have been reported so far, while rejecting claims indicating otherwise.

Shortly after the developments in the early hours of Saturday, the Kuwaiti army and Bahrain’s interior ministry issued warnings of incoming missile fire.

Kuwait emphasized that the country’s air defense systems were “currently confronting hostile missile and drone attacks,” while both countries advised residents to remain calm and move to safe areas.

The Iranian Islamic Rrevolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said the incident began after four tankers “incited and guided by the US aggressor army” attempted to pass through the Strait of Hormuz “illegally” and without prior coordination with its forces, adding that one was targeted following the developments.

“Following this incident at 2:30 AM, American drones hit a telecommunications mast in Qeshm and a mast in Sirik with two projectiles,” the IRGC added. 

“In response to the aggression of the child-killing American army, two American air bases in Kuwait, named Ali al-Salem and the remaining important facilities in the US Navy's Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, were immediately targeted by ballistic missiles fired by the IRGC Aerospace Force,” it said. 

CENTCOM denied that any damage was incurred to the Fifth Fleet's headquarters.

The IRGC further warned that in the event of a recurrence, “a limited response will not suffice,” adding that the other party would be “responsible for the consequences of the complete closure of the Strait of Hormuz to the exit of oil and gas.”

Kuwait has been targeted several times in recent days, with officials warning that the country has a “full and legitimate right” to defend itself.

On Wednesday, Kuwait declared two members of the Iranian diplomatic mission in Kuwait persona non grata, ordering them to leave the country within 24 hours, following an overnight Iranian attack on Kuwaiti territory, while directing a reduction in the number of Iranian embassy staff.