U.S., Iran Intensify Attacks as Ceasefire Frays, Peace Talks Stall

• Iran struck Kuwait International Airport early Wednesday, killing one person and injuring others, Kuwait’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The attack – which Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps reportedly denied responsibility for – is the latest blow to an already weakened ceasefire that has been repeatedly undermined by military action as the war enters its fourth month.
• President Donald Trump declined to say directly whether the ceasefire still held when asked at the White House on Wednesday, noting only that the U.S. “hit them pretty hard” the night before. “A ceasefire there is much different than a ceasefire in other parts of the world,” he added.
• S. Central Command said it defeated multiple Iranian ballistic missiles and drones and launched “self-defense strikes” on Qeshm Island in the Persian Gulf in response to attempted attacks by Tehran. Two missiles fired at Kuwait fell short or broke apart en route, and three aimed at Bahrain were intercepted, while the U.S. also downed three attack drones launched toward civilian mariners – with no U.S. personnel harmed, CENTCOM said.
• The U.S. and Iran remain locked in a volatile stalemate, with peace efforts punctuated by public diplomatic disputes and military action. Tehran is reportedly reviewing a U.S. proposal to pause the war but has not communicated with Washington for several days, Iranian media reported.
• Iran said it would halt communication with the U.S. and move to completely block the Strait of Hormuz, in response to Israel’s military operations in Lebanon against the Iran-backed militia Hezbollah. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking to CNBC, voiced optimism that alternate oil-transport routes were already being developed: “It’s already happening now.”
• Tensions have escalated across the region in recent weeks, with the IRGC striking the U.S. Fifth Fleet headquarters and targeting an Iranian tanker near the Strait of Hormuz, according to Reuters. Gulf governments reported drone attacks Wednesday as Kuwait’s air defences confronted “hostile missile and drone attacks” and Bahrain sounded warning sirens urging residents to seek shelter.

(Source: CNBC)