The US military said it launched self-defence strikes on Iran overnight, and shot down ballistic missiles and drones fired at ships and Gulf countries.

 

The strikes on Qeshm Island  in the Strait of Hormuz, were in response to attempted attacks by Iran across the Middle East , US Central Command said.

 

Iran said it had attacked US bases and helicopters in a regional country  using missiles and drones in retaliation.

 

Centcom stressed Tehran fired two missiles at Kuwait and three at Bahrain, all of which broke apart or were intercepted.

 

Kuwait’s army later stated Iranian drones had hit its international airport, causing significant building damage and injuries to a number of people.

 

Air traffic was suspended on Wednesday morning. Ministry of defence spokesman Brigadier General Saud Abdulaziz Al-Otaibi described the attack as criminal Iranian aggression.

 

The latest attacks come amid stalled ceasefire negotiations between the US and Iran, after talks on a deal to end the months-long war failed to advance over the weekend.

 

Centcom stated the strike on Qeshm Island had targeted an Iranian military ground control station, and that the US military also short down three attack drones that had been launched by Iran toward civilian mariners that were rightfully transiting regional waters.

 

The IRGC said “disrupting the security of the Strait of Hormuz will carry a heavy price for the aggressive US military”.

 

Earlier, Centcom stressed it had struck and disabled an unladen oil tanker that was sailing towards Iran, as part of Washington’s naval blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, which began on 13 April.

 

Centcom also released footage purportedly showing the moment the tanker was hit on Tuesday.

 

The escalation comes after US President Donald Trump this week told his critics to sit back and relax, saying that Iran really wants to make a deal, and it will be a good one for the USA.

 

US media earlier reported that Trump had requested edits to the terms of a potential peace deal, after meeting with senior aides to discuss extending the framework of a ceasefire.

It said the ship’s crew had failed to comply with directions from US forces multiple times over a 24-hour period.

 

Overall, six commercial vessels have been disabled and another 122 redirected since the blockade went into force, Centcom said.