TEHRAN/WASHINGTON – Iran launched missile and drone strikes against US military facilities in Kuwait and Bahrain early Wednesday, marking a dramatic escalation after American attacks on an Iranian oil tanker and a telecommunications tower, as the Middle East plunged back into open warfare involving Israel and the United States.

The strikes, which came after weeks of fragile ceasefire understandings, have shattered any remaining pretence of de-escalation and raised fears of a broader regional conflagration.

Kuwait's foreign ministry confirmed that one person was killed as a result of the Iranian attacks, which targeted "civilian and vital facilities, including Kuwait International Airport."

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expresses the State of Kuwait's condemnation and denunciation, in the strongest terms, of the brutal and ongoing Iranian attacks using ballistic missiles and drones, the latest of which occurred at dawn today," the ministry said in a statement.

The statement added that the attacks resulted in injuries and damage to vital facilities, including diplomatic missions. Kuwait stressed that its "security, sovereignty, and the safety of its citizens and residents are a red line that cannot be crossed."

Kuwait affirmed it reserved "its full and inherent right to take appropriate measures in response to these heinous and repeated Iranian aggressions, in accordance with international law."

Kuwait Airways announced the suspension of its flight operations until further notice, citing "current circumstances, in compliance with safety standards."

The military adviser to Iran's supreme leader, Mohsen Rezaei, issued a stark warning to the United States, saying that further American attacks would be met with overwhelming force.

"Every shot fired and every attack will be met with a deluge of missiles and drones," Rezaei posted on X. "The aggressor will swiftly be punished."

His warning followed US strikes on an Iranian tanker in the Strait of Hormuz and on a telecommunications tower on Iran's Qeshm Island – actions that Iran said violated the recent ceasefire understanding.

Iran's Foreign Ministry condemned the American attacks as violations of international law and the ceasefire understanding. In a sharp escalation of rhetoric, Tehran said Kuwait and Bahrain bore "direct and clear responsibility" for the attacks, alleging their territory and facilities had been used to support US military operations against Iran.

Iran said it reserved the right to self-defence and would use all available means to respond, including by targeting the source of any future attacks.

Trump Berates Netanyahu as Diplomats Scramble

In a sign of deepening fractures within the US-Israel alliance, President Donald Trump lashed out at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in an expletive-laden phone call on Monday, according to Axios. The report cited two US officials and a third source briefed on the call, saying Trump called Netanyahu "crazy" and accused him of ingratitude. Trump also reportedly halted Israel's plan to strike Beirut.

On Monday, Trump had said he spoke to Netanyahu and, through unnamed representatives, with Hezbollah.

As fighting intensified, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held separate phone calls with the foreign ministers of France, Türkiye, Qatar, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan, according to the Iranian embassy in Japan. He also held a call with Pakistan's Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, who played a key role in brokering the now-shattered ceasefire.

The calls suggest a desperate last-minute push to prevent a full-scale regional war – though with missiles already falling on Kuwait and Bahrain, that effort may have come too late.

With US bases struck, Kuwaiti airports closed, and Iranian leaders promising a "deluge" of further strikes should attacks continue, the region now stands on the brink of a war that could draw in multiple powers. The fragile peace brokered just weeks ago has collapsed, and the path back to diplomacy appears uncertain at best.