A delicate ceasefire between US and Iran that has been in place since April 8 was tested again on June 3 after both Kuwait and Bahrain reported fresh missile and drone attacks from Iran. The strikes on Kuwait, in particular, mark the most serious escalation yet on a Gulf country since the ceasefire went into effect. One Indian was killed and at least 63 people injured, the foreign ministry said, as the strikes drew fresh condemnation from neighbouring Gulf states, including the UAE.
Since the beginning of the war — which started on February 28 when US and Israel launched “preemptive strikes” on Iran — several Gulf countries have endured attacks targeting civilian areas, nuclear plants, and oil and petroleum facilities. These had largely ceased after US President Trump declared a ceasefire aimed at allowing both countries to negotiate a deal. The talks, in progress for several weeks, however, have yet to yield a proposal agreeable to both sides.
Trump on June 3 said, when asked to define a ceasefire, that “in that part of the world ceasefire is when you’re shooting in a more moderate manner.”
Despite a broad agreement to pause daily strikes, multiple instances of hostilities have been recorded over the last 56 days on both sides, with Iran continuing to target regional US bases and assets, in what Tehran says are mostly retaliatory strikes against US aggression.
April 8: The very first day of the ceasefire saw UAE intercepting 17 ballistic missiles and 35 drones. At the time, although some parties considered Lebanon to be included in the US-Iran ceasefire agreement, Israel disagreed and carried out what were some of its biggest strikes till then against Hezbollah in Lebanon. While a ceasefire was later called on that front too, the attacks in Lebanon have continued.
April 13: The US blockaded Iranian ports to restrict maritime traffic to and from the Islamic Republic, in an act Iran called a ceasefire breach.
April 16: Israel and Lebanon agreed to a 10-day ceasefire. However, Hezbollah and Israel traded blows every subsequent day of the shaky truce.
April 18: One soldier was killed and others wounded in an attack on UN peacekeepers in Lebanon. Meanwhile, two Indian-flagged vessels carrying crude oil were attacked while attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz. A US destroyer then fired on an Iranian-flagged cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman that tried to evade the US naval blockade.
April 20: Iranian forces targeted three container ships in the Strait of Hormuz, seizing two and firing on a third.
April 24: Two explosive-laden drones launched from Iraq targeted northern border posts in Kuwait.
April 24 to May 3: Israel and Hezbollah traded blows for days, with multiple people in Lebanon, including Hezbollah members, killed in the strikes as Israel continued its ground offensive in the southern part of the country.
May 4: UAE air defences engaged 12 ballistic missiles, three cruise missiles, and four drones from Iran on May 4. A drone attack caused a fire to break out at Fujairah Oil Industries Zone, injuring three Indians. Meanwhile, an Adnoc-owned tanker was attacked in the Strait of Hormuz, targeted by two drones.
May 5: UAE air defences dealt with another missile threat from Iran.
May 7: Three people were injured as UAE defence forces engaged 3 ballistic missiles and 2 drones. The US struck an Iranian port and port city in the early hours of May 7. It also struck an Iranian oil tanker and another ship, triggering retaliatory attacks from Iran on their naval vessels near the Strait of Hormuz.
May 10: The UAE engaged two drones on May 10 and no injuries were reported. A commercial cargo ship coming from Abu Dhabi was attacked in Qatar’s territorial waters by a drone. Kuwait too reported hostile drones entering its airspace.
May 13: Kuwait said it had detained four individuals affiliated with IRGC attempting to infiltrate its waters, while Iran said that the GCC country had ‘unlawfully attacked’ a vessel and arrested four of its citizens.
May 14: Israel and Hezbollah continued to strike each other, with several Israeli and Lebanese civilians injured in the conflict.
May 17: UAE engaged three drones that entered from the western border on May 17. Two were intercepted, while the third struck an electrical generator outside the inner perimeter of the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant in Al Dhafra, causing a fire. No injuries were reported, and radiation safety levels were not affected. Saudi Arabia intercepted and destroyed three drones from Iraqi airspace on the same day.
May 19: The UAE Ministry of Defence announced that, in 48 hours, air defence systems had successfully detected and engaged 6 hostile drones.
May 22: The Israeli military carried out an airstrike in south Lebanon, killing two people in an area where it was fighting Hezbollah.
May 23: Israel staged airstrikes and raids in Lebanon that killed 10 people, targeting an area near the Syrian border.
May 25: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered intensified strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon, leading to the targeting of Hezbollah infrastructure and multiple villages.
May 26: US forces attacked missile sites in southern Iran and boats trying to lay mines, according to the US Central Command.
May 27: The Israeli military said it struck Hezbollah command centres in the southern Lebanese city of Tyre.
May 28: Iran’s Guard launched an attack targeting an American air base in retaliation for US strikes on Iranian targets. The US military carried out new strikes on Iran, targeting a military site in Bandar Abbas. Kuwait’s army said its air defences responded to missile and drone threats, but did not say where they were coming from.
May 30: Israeli military said it intercepted several projectiles launched from Lebanon, but that one had hit near a town in northern Israel. Hezbollah later claimed responsibility for the attacks.
May 31: An Israeli strike near a hospital in Tyre in south Lebanon wounded 13 staffers. US Central Command (CENTCOM) said later that it had “conducted self-defence strikes on Iranian radar and command and control sites for drones in Goruk, Iran and Qeshm Island.”
June 1: Kuwait armed forces dealt with missile and drone attacks. Iran said that it had targeted a US air base in the region in retaliation for US strikes, without specifying the location of the base.
June 2: Both Kuwait and Bahrain were targeted on this day. Two Iranian missiles fired at Kuwait fell short or broke apart en route, the US military said, and three missiles launched at Bahrain were “immediately intercepted” by US and Bahrain air defence forces.
June 3: A total of 13 ballistic missiles and 17 drones were intercepted over several residential areas. At least 63 people were injured and one individual killed as Iranian drones targeted Kuwait International Airport, causing the airport to shut down and airlines to cancel flights.
