Iran follows missile strikes with new Hormuz demand

 Iran fired missiles at US bases in Kuwait and Bahrain on Sunday before warning that ships must not pass through the Strait of Hormuz without its permission.

Tehran targeted the Ali al-Salem Air Base in Kuwait and the US Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain using ballistic missiles.

Bahrain’s foreign ministry condemned “continued attacks, at a time when regional and international efforts are moving toward de-escalation”.

A top-floor flat in a residential building in the Bahraini town of Muharraq was turned to rubble in one strike, officials in the country said, adding that there were no injuries.

The strikes came on the day that Abbas Araghchi, the Iranian foreign minister, began his visit to Iraq. He visited the site where Qassem Soleimani, the top Iranian commander, was killed in a US drone strike in 2020.

Sunday’s attacks marked the third day of renewed hostilities between the US and Iran, which threatens to shatter the ceasefire agreement signed on June 17.

Talks in Switzerland between the US and Iran scheduled for this week have been stalled by the latest strikes, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Tensions have flared in recent days over access to the Strait of Hormuz, the waterway through which around a fifth of the world’s oil supply flows.

Tehran has insisted on controlling the passage of ships through the crucial chokehold – something it did not enjoy before the war – and said vessels must transit through a corridor close to its own shores.

However, dozens of ships have travelled along the opposite side of the waterway in the past week, hugging the Omani coast.

Iran’s top diplomat warned on Sunday that any attempt to bypass its preferred route through the strait would “increase tensions” in the Middle East, with the issue threatening to drag out the months-long war.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps also said on Sunday that it was taking measures to control traffic in the waterway and that vessels violating these conditions would be dealt with “more forcefully” than before.

Mohammad Mokhber, an adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, wrote on X that as long as Iran managed the strait, Washington’s “hegemonic dreams in the region will not be realised”.

The Telegraph revealed on Friday that Oman has proposed a potential compromise that would introduce a voluntary fee for energy-importing states and shipping companies using the Strait of Hormuz.

Muscat’s suggestion would seek to bridge the gap between the US, which opposes all tolls in the strait, and Iran, which insists on full control of the artery, while also unlocking a new multibillion-dollar revenue stream for Oman and Iran.

The conflict, which reached a four-month milestone on Sunday, has killed thousands since the US and Israel launched coordinated strikes on Iran on Feb 28.

Tehran said the latest strikes were in retaliation for a fresh round of US attacks on Iranian military infrastructure on Saturday, including communications systems, air defence sites and drone storage facilities.

Donald Trump repeated his earlier warnings to obliterate Iran, writing on his Truth Social platform that “there may come a point when we are no longer able to be reasonable”.

He added that “the Islamic Republic of Iran will no longer exist” if Tehran launches further attacks.