Kuwait temporarily shut its airspace on Thursday following the Kuwait airspace closure over Iran strikes, citing what it called ‘Iranian aggressions’ after intercepting ‘hostile aerial targets’ in Kuwaiti skies. The closure came as a broader military confrontation between the United States and Iran spread across the region, touching Bahrain, Lebanon, and the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran’s state-run Tasnim news agency reported that Iran had ‘struck and destroyed eighteen important targets’ belonging to U.S. forces at Kuwait’s Ali Salem and Ahmad al-Jaber air bases, and at the Sheikh Issa air base in Bahrain. Kuwait’s airspace was reopened after several hours. The media adviser to Bahrain’s king said the country’s air defence systems had intercepted and destroyed what he described as ‘Iranian aerial attacks.’ Earlier in the day, Bahrain’s interior ministry had urged civilians to move to a safe location.
Strikes, Hormuz, and the Kuwait Airspace Closure
The escalation follows U.S. strikes on multiple targets inside Iran, carried out at President Donald Trump’s direction in response to what Washington described as ‘Iran’s unwarranted and continued aggression.’ U.S. Central Command said its strikes were completed at 9:04 p.m. ET on Wednesday, hitting Iranian military surveillance capabilities, communication systems, and air defence sites. Central Command added that U.S. forces had fired on Iranian targets that ‘posed a threat to U.S. forces and international commercial ships transiting regional waters.’
Iranian state media reported that Iran had targeted U.S. ships in the Strait of Hormuz with missiles and drones. Iran’s top military command then announced a complete closure of the Strait of Hormuz, warning that any vessel attempting to cross would be targeted, according to the New York Times. The strait is one of the world’s most critical shipping lanes, and the scale of disruption to commercial traffic has been severe. Before the U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran in late February, well over 100 commercial ships a day passed through the strait. Central Command has guided around 70 commercial ships through the waterway in the last three weeks, a fraction of the usual volume.
Israel’s Home Front Command also warned of launches from Lebanon toward several communities in northern Israel, widening the geographic scope of the exchanges.
Operation Epic Fury and the Road to This Point
The current confrontation has its roots in a sustained military campaign. According to Britannica, the U.S. code name for its joint operations with Israel against Iran was Operation Epic Fury, which began on 28 February 2026 and concluded on 5 May. The strikes playing out this week represent a renewed phase of hostilities after that campaign’s formal end.
Trump had warned as far back as Wednesday morning that the U.S. would hit Iran ‘very hard’ again, escalating his public statements as he pressed Tehran to sign a deal. At a White House signing event for the Secure America Act, he said: ‘We hit them hard yesterday, and we’re going to hit them hard again today. We’re going to be attacking them and attacking them very hard.’ He added that Iran ‘should sign the deal’ and that the U.S. wants an agreement ‘that’s meaningful and works.’
Trump had also posted on Truth Social that Iran had taken too long to negotiate and would ‘pay the price.’ He wrote: ‘Iran’s Military is a complete and total mess. Much of it, like their Navy and Air Force, doesn’t even exist anymore. They have been completely defeated. Iran is all talk and no action.’
In response, Ebrahim Azizi, the head of the national security commission in Iran’s parliament, posted on X that ‘this time, the war won’t be limited to the region.’
Markets React as Trump Hints at Halt
Financial markets moved quickly on the news. Oil prices rose and U.S. stock futures fell after Trump’s remarks. U.S. crude climbed nearly 2% to $89.72 per barrel and Brent rose 1.3% to $92.74. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped more than 600 points following the comments.
Trump told Fox News that he had spoken directly with Iranian officials, who he said asked him to stop the strikes. He said the bombing would stop shortly and that Israel was not involved, though he left the door open for further military action. Asked whether a ceasefire was over, Trump reportedly said it was ‘the most violated ceasefire in history.’ He also repeated his assertion that oil prices would return to the levels they were at before the war began in February once the military operation ended.
The stakes in the oil market are already high. Claudio Galimberti, chief economist at Rystad Energy, told CNBC earlier this week that oil could hit $150 per barrel within the next couple of months if fighting in the Middle East continues, as inventories are now at very low levels.
The current round of U.S. strikes was itself triggered by earlier escalation. Central Command said the attacks were ‘in response to yesterday’s downing of a U.S. Army Apache helicopter,’ though Iran has not directly claimed responsibility for bringing down the aircraft. Iranian state broadcaster IRIB reported that no offensive military operations had been carried out in the strait in the previous 24 hours. The Iranian Foreign Ministry did not respond to requests for comment.
