Military confrontation between the United States and Iran resumed on the evening of June 27, 2026, despite the signing of an agreement to halt hostilities just days prior.
The latest round of strikes threatens to collapse the de-escalation track and ongoing negotiations aimed at reaching a comprehensive agreement to end the war.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced on June 28 that its naval and air forces had launched joint missile and drone attacks targeting US bases in Kuwait and Bahrain, in response to US strikes it said had violated the cease-fire agreement. It warned it would halt “all diplomatic operations” if the attacks continued.
A US official cited by Reuters confirmed that US bases in the two neighboring countries had come under Iranian attack, but said initial assessments did not indicate any deaths or significant damage to military facilities.
US President Donald Trump, meanwhile, said American forces had bombed Iranian missile, drone storage sites, and coastal radar facilities, arguing that Tehran had been the first to violate the agreement.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump threatened that “there may come a point when we are no longer able to be reasonable, and will be forced to militarily complete the job that we very successfully started.”
US Central Command also said that the strikes targeted military surveillance, communications, air defense facilities, drone warehouses, and mine-laying capabilities, adding that they came in response to “continued Iranian aggression against commercial shipping” in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry, for its part, said the US strikes targeted monitoring and surveillance facilities on the southern coast, describing them as a direct violation of the temporary agreement. The IRGC vowed that “should this aggression be repeated, our response will be broader than this.”
The latest escalation came after UK Maritime Trade Operations said it had received a report that a tanker was struck by an unidentified projectile, causing no injuries among the crew and no environmental damage. The incident came two days after the IRGC warned that “if any ship tries to cross the Strait of Hormuz without our permission, or outside the designated routes, it will be responsible for any consequences.”
Iran says the IRGC fired “warning shots” toward ships that tried to pass through routes not approved by Tehran, prompting other vessels to seek permission before crossing the strait, while the United States says those attacks were the direct reason for their latest strikes.
The temporary agreement signed by Washington and Tehran called for a halt to military operations and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz as a prelude to resuming negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program and sanctions.
However, accusations of violating the agreement began only days after it was signed, before developing into renewed military confrontations in the Gulf, coinciding with continued tension in southern Lebanon, where Israel continues its operations against Hezbollah. Tehran considers stability on the Lebanese front an integral part of any understanding with the United States.
The internationally mediated truce now appears to be facing its most difficult test since it was approved, with military confrontations returning on more than one front and the chances of the diplomatic track collapsing rising if the exchange of strikes between the two sides continues.
Last week, the White House asked Congress for $87.6 billion in additional funding, most of it allocated to covering expenses related to the war on Iran. The request included more than $67 billion for the Department of Defense to compensate for munitions used during military operations, rebuild strategic stockpiles, and fund the combat readiness of the US armed forces.
