Gulf allies targeted by Iran as strikes continue despite ceasefire

By Sarah Roderick-Fitch
The Center Square

Despite the ongoing ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran, the two countries exchanged fire once again, with the Islamic Republic targeting regional neighbors.

U.S. Central Command announced the latest round of skirmishes in the region, confirming the U.S. conducted “self-defense strikes on Qeshm Island in response to attempted attacks” by the Islamic Republic throughout the region.

CENTCOM says Iran launched several ballistic missiles, targeting Kuwait and Bahrain. Two missiles fired towards Kuwait and two towards Bahrain were intercepted by American and Bahraini forces.

In addition, three one-way attack drones were launched by the Islamic Republic towards “civilian mariners that were rightfully transiting regional waters.” CENTCOM underscores that “self-defense strikes” were conducted on an “Iranian military ground control station” on the island.

In addition to Kuwait and Bahrain, explosions have been reported in Erbil, Iraq.

Iranian-linked state sources claim American bases in the region, which include the headquarters of the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, were the intended targets of the strikes.

The strikes come hours after U.S. forces disabled an “unladen” oil tanker “attempting to sail toward an Iranian port on the Arabian Gulf.”

“U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) enforced blockade measures against Botswana-flagged M/T Lexie as it transited international waters toward Kharg Island. The ship’s crew ignored repeated warnings failing to comply with directions from U.S. forces multiple times over a 24-hour period,” according to a statement from CENTCOM. “U.S. aircraft ultimately disabled the vessel by firing a Hellfire missile into the ship’s engine room, preventing the tanker from reaching Iran.”

CENTCOM confirms that it has disabled six commercial vessels and redirected 122 ships since the naval blockade on Iranian ports began April 13.

The latest exchange of fire marks the fourth time in less than two weeks the U.S. and Iran have tested the ceasefire.

Though President Donald Trump maintains his commitment to settling the stalled conflict through diplomatic means, saying Iran “wants to make a deal.”

The president argues that time is on the U.S.’s side, and he won’t be rushed into making a deal that isn’t in the country’s best interest. He continues to demand that Iran cease its nuclear program and hand over its “nuclear dust.” Trump also continues to call on Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, voicing opposition to the Islamic State attempting to impose a tolling system on the vital waterway.

The ceasefire was initially implemented April 8 and originally set for two weeks.