Iran targets Bahrain and Kuwait after new US strikes; Pakistan pushes mediation efforts

Day 98: Trump hails ‘great success’ with Iran, offers no new details

Day 97: UN peacekeeper killed in south Lebanon shelling

Day 96: US: Iran's Kuwait attack was 'deliberate & calculated'

Day 95: Rubio says Iran's Khamenei alive and 'increasingly engaging'

Day 94: Kuwait intercepts missiles, drones; Iran halts US talks

Day 93: Trump asked for tougher terms in proposed Iran war deal

Day 92: Hormuz disruption raises summer fuel shortage fears

Day 91: Trump wraps Iran talks without announcement

Day 90: US, Iran reach deal pending Trump's final approval

Day 89: Trump says 'not satisfied' yet on Iran deal

Day 88: Iran condemns US attacks as violation of ceasefire

Day 87: 'Proceeding nicely': US-Iran talks intensify, oil drops

Day 86: US-Iran talks: Trump says 'I don’t make bad deals'

Day 85: Trump: Iran deal ‘largely negotiated’, Hormuz to open

The Israeli military said it has killed a Hezbollah operative in southern Lebanon during a strike near a United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) position in the Burj Qalawiya area.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the individual was operating from within or near a UNIFIL outpost and entered a vehicle before approaching Israeli troops in a manner that posed an “immediate threat.”

According to the IDF, the operative was also involved in planning and advancing attacks against Israeli soldiers and civilians.

The military said it carried out what it described as a “precise strike” to eliminate the target, while taking steps to avoid damage to the nearby UNIFIL position and minimise harm to civilians.

There was no immediate independent confirmation of the incident from Lebanese authorities or UNIFIL.

Qatar has reaffirmed its condemnation of last month’s attack on the UAE’s Barakah nuclear power plant during an emergency session of the UN nuclear watchdog (IAEA) in Vienna.

Qatari Ambassador to Austria Jassim Yaqoub Al Hammadi described the incident as a clear violation of international law, according to a statement from Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

He also emphasised that “the security of the UAE is an integral part of the security of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states and the wider region,” the ministry added.

President Donald Trump said his administration is achieving “great success” in negotiations with Iran, speaking to reporters on Air Force One.

“They’re not going to have a nuclear weapon. They’re in no position to have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said, repeating comments he has made multiple times during the ongoing conflict.

Lebanon's health ministry said an Israeli strike in the south on Friday killed five people including a woman and an emergency worker, condemning "the targeting of paramedics carrying out rescue operations".

"The Israeli enemy strike on the town of Zebdine in the Nabatieh district killed five people including a woman, and a paramedic from the Risala Association, and wounded two people including a paramedic," a ministry statement said, referring to emergency responders affiliated with Hezbollah ally the Amal movement.

Kuwaiti air defences were ​intercepting missile and drone attacks, state news agency KUNA cited ​the army's General Staff as saying.

​The General Staff added that any explosions heard were the result of interceptions by air defence systems and urged the public to follow safety and security instructions issued by the relevant agencies.

Residents across Bahrain were urged to move to safe locations early Saturday after warning sirens were activated nationwide amid escalating regional tensions. Bahrain's Ministry of Interior issued an alert at 4:15 a.m. local time, calling on citizens and residents to remain calm and follow emergency guidance.

The precautionary measures came as missile activity and military exchanges intensified across the Gulf region, raising concerns over potential threats to civilian areas.

The US military said Iran launched seven ballistic missiles towards Kuwait and Bahrain in a significant escalation of tensions across the Gulf. According to US Central Command, six of the missiles were successfully intercepted by air defence systems, while the seventh failed to reach its intended target.

The launches came shortly after US forces said they had intercepted four Iranian drones heading towards the Strait of Hormuz and carried out strikes against Iranian radar installations on Qeshm Island and in Goruk. US officials said there were no immediate reports of injuries among American personnel, while Kuwait and Bahrain activated emergency response measures as the situation unfolded.

Iran's Revolutionary Guard said it targeted one of four oil tankers that allegedly attempted to pass through the Strait of Hormuz without prior coordination. The IRGC claimed the vessels ignored warnings issued by Iranian authorities and were attempting what it described as an "illegal transit" through the strategic waterway, alleging that the move had been encouraged by the US military. Iranians said one tanker was struck and forced to halt, while the remaining vessels turned back.

Explosions were heard early Saturday in Kuwait and Bahrain after US strikes against Iran, according to AFP correspondents.

Multiple explosions were heard in areas near Kuwait International Airport, reported AFP's correspondent in Kuwait, whose military announced it was responding to "hostile" missile and drone attacks.

In Bahrain's capital Manama, an AFP correspondent there reported hearing explosions and interceptions, as air raid alerts rang out.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi urged on Saturday Lebanese president Joseph Aoun, who had criticised Tehran for interfering in his country, to save Lebanon from its "real foe".

"Based on Mr. Aoun's comments, one would think it's Iran that has occupied 1/5 of Lebanon, displaced 1/4 of Lebanese and bombing his country on daily basis... Save Lebanon from your real foe, Mr. President," Araghchi wrote on X.

New attacks in the Middle East on Friday threatened to unravel an already fragile US-Iran ceasefire, even as American officials confirmed that Tehran's football players had received visas for the World Cup.

Weeks of complex talks marked by threats and flare-ups of violence have failed to secure a deal to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a key conduit for global energy flows.

A ceasefire in the Middle East war, triggered nearly 100 days ago by US and Israeli strikes that wiped out Iran's top leadership, has been in place since April 8.

But tensions surged again Friday when the US military said it struck radar sites in Iran after downing drones headed toward the strait.

Shortly after, air raid sirens sounded in neighboring Gulf nations Kuwait and Bahrain -- both US allies -- and AFP correspondents in both countries heard explosions.

The United States announced Friday its approval of a $1.98 billion arms sale to Kuwait, one of the Gulf countries hit by Iranian strikes during the Middle East war.

In a statement, the US State Department said it would allow purchases of counter-drone technology from defense company Anduril, which was founded by a supporter of President Donald Trump.

"This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a major non-NATO ally that has been an important force for political stability and economic progress in the Middle East," the statement said.

While the EU has responded to the latest fossil fuel crisis by limiting fossil fuel imports, a trio of states have “deepened their exposure by increasing them".

However, the EU still spends billions of euros on fossil fuel imports – and has increased its dependency on its two largest liquid natural gas (LNG) suppliers, the US and Russia.

A new analysis by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) showed that EU imports of LNG have dropped by 1.2 percent since March and continue to decline. In the UK, LNG imports decreased by 20 percent during the same period. Together, this represents a three percent reduction.

“The EU has realised that its 2022 decision to boost LNG imports is no longer sustainable,” said IEEFA Energy Analyst Ana Maria Jaller-Makarewicz. “Supply constraints have prompted a reduction in LNG imports, highlighting the imminent need for further gas demand reduction to avoid jeopardising the bloc’s energy security.”

Bahrain's foreign ministry on Saturday decried attacks by Iran against its territory and neighbouring Kuwait, saying the two Gulf countries intercepted seven missiles fired by the Islamic republic.

"The ministry of foreign affairs strongly condemns the renewed attacks by the Islamic Republic of Iran against the Kingdom of Bahrain and the sisterly State of Kuwait," Bahrain, which hosts the US Fifth Fleet, said in a statement. 

"This blatant aggression constitutes a flagrant violation of the sovereignty of both countries," it added.

Lebanon's army said Saturday that several soldiers had been killed in an Israeli strike on a vehicle in the south, days after the two countries announced a conditional truce following talks in the United States.

"A number of military personnel, including an officer, were martyred in a barbaric Israeli raid targeting a military vehicle on the Khardali–Nabatieh road," the army said in a statement posted to X.

Under the conditional truce, Hezbollah is supposed to stop its attacks against Israel and withdraw from near the border, while the Lebanese army will deploy to new "pilot zones" in the area where it would exercise exclusive control.

Kuwait resumed air traffic operations early on Saturday after temporarily closing its airspace following missile and drone attacks linked to escalating tensions between Iran and the United States.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said air navigation resumed at 6:15 a.m. local time after coordinating with relevant authorities and confirming that conditions had stabilised and any immediate threat had passed.

Kuwait had closed its airspace as a precautionary measure after the country came under attack during a night of heightened regional military activity. The temporary suspension forced 11 flights operated by Kuwait Airways and Jazeera Airways to divert to neighbouring airports.

The release of frozen Iranian funds has become a key issue in negotiations between Tehran and Washington aimed at ending their war, a senior Iranian official said.

Iran has been subject to asset freezes and sweeping sanctions by the United States and other Western countries since its 1979 Islamic revolution that toppled the US-backed Shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.

In an interview broadcast on Friday, Mohsen Rezaei, a former commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and an adviser to Iran's supreme leader, said the talks were failing over the release of Iranian assets.

"If he (Trump) wants to reach an agreement with Iran, this $24 billion is a test of trust that Iran wants to have with Trump," he told CNN, according to an English translation of his remarks provided by the channel.

Kuwait's General Fire Force said it responded early on Saturday to two fires caused by debris resulting from the interception of hostile Iranian missiles and drones by air defence systems, while also carrying out preparedness and site-security operations in coordination with relevant authorities.

Kuwait has strongly condemned a series of repeated Iranian attacks, including the latest early on Saturday, describing them as a blatant act of aggression that ignores international appeals to stop and endangers the lives of citizens and residents as well as regional security and stability. In a statement, the Foreign Ministry said the attacks represent a flagrant violation of Kuwait's sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, and a clear breach of international law, the UN Charter and UN Security Council Resolution 2817 (2026).

Bahrain and Kuwait with missiles and drones, reaffirming its support for the two Gulf nations amid one of the most serious regional security escalations in recent years.

In two separate statements issued on Saturday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs denounced the attacks in the strongest terms, describing them as flagrant violations of the sovereignty of Bahrain and Kuwait and a direct threat to their security and stability.

The ministry expressed the UAE's full solidarity with both countries and reiterated its support for all measures aimed at safeguarding their security, stability and the safety of their citizens and residents.

The United States, one of the three host countries of the 2026 World Cup, has refused to grant visas to 15 members of Iran's delegation, state television reported on Saturday.

"Visas have been issued for the national team and the technical staff, and there are 15 members of the administration and management whose visas are problematic and have not been issued by the US," a state television reporter said from the Turkish city of Antalya, where the team is holding a training camp.

Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi is expected in Tehran today to advance mediation efforts in the ongoing US-Iran negotiations, Iranian semi-official Mehr news agency reported, citing an “informed source.”

Islamabad has become a key mediator in recent months, helping broker a temporary ceasefire in April amid escalating Middle East tensions.

With Naqvi’s visit underway, the precise status of US-Iran discussions remains unclear, though major hurdles likely persist over Iran’s nuclear program and frozen overseas assets.

Iran still has "21, 22 percent" of its missiles left, US President Donald Trump said on Friday, after Tehran fired dozens across the region during a week marked by repeated violations of a fragile ceasefire.

"They still have capacity. They have some missiles, they have some drones. I would say, percentage wise, maybe 21, 22 percent of their missiles," Trump told NBC News in an interview.

That estimate for Iran's remaining missile stockpile is higher than the 18 percent Trump gave in May. He has often claimed to have completely destroyed Iran's war-fighting capacity.

Iran's military said Friday it had fired "warning missiles" at two US destroyers in the Gulf of Oman - a claim promptly denied by the US military.

Two days earlier, Kuwait said it had intercepted 30 ballistic missiles fired as part of "heinous Iranian aggression."

Weeks of complex talks marked by threats and flare-ups of violence have failed to secure a deal to end the war.

But Trump said Iran has "got no choice" except to reach an agreement.

"They're strong, they're proud, there are things they never thought they'd be doing that they're going to have to do," he told NBC.

Kuwait’s Defence Ministry spokesperson Colonel Saud Al Otaibi said the Armed Forces detected and engaged seven hostile ballistic missiles in Kuwaiti airspace at dawn.

He said the missiles were intercepted over several residential areas, with falling shrapnel causing material damage.

Al Otaibi described the incident as “criminal Iranian aggression,” according to a statement carried by KUNA.

The ministry did not immediately provide further details on casualties or the extent of damage.

Kuwait’s Ministry of Defence has released statistics on ballistic missiles and aerial threats intercepted by its air defences on Saturday, June 6.

According to the Army General Staff Headquarters, Kuwaiti air defences engaged Iranian ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), during ongoing attacks.

On Saturday alone, seven ballistic missiles were detected and destroyed.

Cumulative interceptions since escalation

The ministry said that since the beginning of what it described as a “heinous Iranian aggression,” its air defences have intercepted:

• 379 ballistic missiles

• 15 cruise missiles

• 869 UAVs

The statement did not provide further details on damage or casualties.

Iran condemned on Saturday a nighttime US attack on coastal radar installations in the Gulf, calling it a "flagrant" violation of the ceasefire in place since April.

The foreign ministry said it was an attack "on the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Islamic republic", denouncing Washington's "hostile and provocative behaviour".

The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has strongly condemned an Israeli settler attack on the town of Huwara, near Nablus in the northern occupied West Bank, which left several people injured and caused widespread damage to property.

According to the ministry, at least nine Palestinians were injured when dozens of settlers stormed the town, targeting the municipal building and multiple homes. Vehicles were vandalised, while property and livestock, including sheep, were reportedly stolen during the assault.

The ministry said the attack took place under the protection of the Israeli army, describing it as part of a broader pattern aimed at forcibly displacing Palestinians across the occupied territory.

Iran's national football team took off from Turkey en route to Mexico on Saturday to take part in this year's World Cup, according to state TV, after its players were granted US visas late the night before.

The team "took off this evening for Mexico to participate in the World Cup after a 15-day training period" in Turkey, Iranian state TV reported. "The national team will arrive in Tijuana after a 20-hour flight."

Lebanese army chief Rodolphe Haykal left Lebanon for Pakistan where he will meet his counterpart Asim Munir, the Lebanese military said, with a source telling AFP the visit is linked to broader Iran-US talks.

In a statement, the army said that Haykal "left Lebanon for the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, at the invitation of his Pakistani counterpart, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir".

A source with knowledge of the matter told AFP Haykal's visit is "linked to the Pakistani mediation to resolve" issues between the United States and Iran who are negotiating an end to the Middle East regional war.

"Lebanon is critical part of the negotiations," the source added, requesting anonymity.

Munir is Islamabad's key negotiator between the United States and Iran to end the war launched by America and Israel, which quickly spread across the region.

Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi arrived in Tehran on Saturday for a new round of negotiations aimed at facilitating dialogue between the United States and Iran, according to reports.

Naqvi is expected to meet Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi during the visit, the semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported.

The latest round of talks comes as Pakistan seeks to position itself as a regional mediator amid heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran.

Iran's World Cup squad has been notified they must enter and leave US soil on the same day as any match they must play in the United States, the country's ambassador to Mexico said Saturday.

Due to the ongoing US-Israeli conflict with Tehran, Iran's team is now based in Mexico, instead of their intended site in Tucson, Arizona.

"We can enter in the morning and we must leave the same day," Iran's envoy Abolfazl Pasandideh told reporters.

The Israeli military said it has killed a commander of Hamas’s armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, in an airstrike in the southern Gaza Strip.

The army identified the commander as Mohamad Othman Yassin Furana, saying he was targeted in an overnight aerial strike because he posed an “immediate threat” to Israeli troops operating in the area.

According to the military, the strike was carried out in southern Gaza, where operations have intensified amid ongoing conflict. Hamas has not yet issued a response to the claim.

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