Iran-US war latest: US launches ‘self-defence’ strikes on Iran island and downs missiles targeting Gulf allies
The US military says that Iranian missiles fired at Kuwait and Bahrain failed or were shot down, and that the US launched strikes on an Iranian facility in response.
US Central Command said the strikes were on an Iranian military ground control station on Qeshm Island, near the Strait of Hormuz, that is home to a desalination plant.
Iran had fired missiles towards Kuwait and Bahrain but they failed to hit their targets, the US said. The two fired at Kuwait fell apart en route, while US and Bahrain forces intercepted the missiles aimed at Bahrain.
The escalation comes as president Donald Trump calls suggestions that the US and Iran are no longer holding peace talks “false and erroneous” and insisted the two countries have been speaking "continuously".
In a post on Truth Social, he added the US and Iran in fact spoke “four days ago, three days ago, two days ago, one day ago, and today”.But he also said he had told Tehran: "It's time, one way or another, for you to make a Deal. You’ve been doing this for 47 years, and it cannot be allowed to go on any longer!”Oil climbs to $97 a barrel
Oil prices climbed more than 1 per cent in early trade as hostilities in the Middle East erupted anew with Iran firing missiles at Kuwait and Bahrain.
Brent futures rose $1.05, or 1.09 per cent, at $97.05 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate crude rose $1.01, or 1.08 per cent, to settle at $94.77.
On the supply side, US crude oil inventories fell for a seventh straight week last week, according to market sources citing American Petroleum Institute data.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar3 June 2026 04:10US says Iran's attack on Bahrain and Kuwait failed
The US military has claimed that Iranian missile attacks on Bahrain, Kuwait and other regional targets were either thwarted or failed, as diplomacy between Washington and Tehran showed little progress.
Two Iranian missiles shot at Kuwait fell short or broke apart in flight, while several ballistic missiles aimed at regional targets failed and three missiles heading for Bahrain were intercepted, the US Central Command said.
It said the US military also downed Iranian drones targeting civilian ships in regional waters and US forces in Kuwait, and carried out strikes on Qeshm Island near the Strait of Hormuz following attempted attacks by Iran.
The Revolutionary Guard Corps reportedly attacked the US Fifth Fleet headquarters, located in Bahrain, as well as an airbase and helicopters in an unspecified regional country using missiles and drones in response to a US attack on a communications tower south of Qeshm.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar3 June 2026 04:05
Rachel Dobkin3 June 2026 04:00There are supposed to be ceasefires across the Middle East, but the fighting is worsening
Ceasefires have been announced, often to great fanfare, in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran. So why is there still so much fighting?
In just the last few weeks, Israeli forces have captured more territory in Gaza and killed two top Hamas militants there, as well as more than a dozen other people. In Lebanon, Israeli troops captured a Crusader fortress over the weekend in their deepest incursion in 26 years, as Hezbollah kept up rocket fire into northern Israel.
The fighting in Lebanon showed no sign of letting up on Tuesday, after U.S. President Donald Trump said both sides had agreed — again — to de-escalate.
Rebecca Whittaker3 June 2026 03:30
Rebecca Whittaker3 June 2026 03:00US forces disable oil tanker during its blockade
American forces have disabled an unladen oil tanker during its blockade of Iranian ports.
The tanker “was attempting to sail toward an Iranian port on the Arabian Gulf” on Tuesday, according to the US Central Command.
“The ship’s crew ignored repeated warnings, failing to comply with directions from U.S. forces multiple times over a 24-hour period”, CENTCOM said in an X post.
A US aircraft “ultimately disabled the vessel by firing a Hellfire missile into the ship’s engine room, preventing the tanker from reaching Iran”, the post read.
American forces have disabled a total of six commercial vessels and redirected another 122 ships during their blockade, which started on April 13.
Rachel Dobkin3 June 2026 02:00US sanctions Iran's largest crypto exchange
The United States announced sanctions on Iran’s biggest cryptocurrency exchange, accusing it of enabling the Iranian government and blacklisted state institutions to circumvent Western sanctions.
The four entities include; Nobitex, Bitpin, Ramzinex and Wallex.
Rebecca Whittaker3 June 2026 01:00
Rebecca Whittaker3 June 2026 00:00Powerful Iran-backed Iraqi militia says it will start handing its weapons to the state
One of Iraq’s most powerful Iran-backed armed groups said Tuesday it would begin putting its weapons under government control, a major step in the new government’s effort to bring militias that have long operated on their own under state command.
Asaib Ahl al-Haq said it had formed a committee to oversee the move, including an inventory of its fighters, weapons and equipment, and to coordinate with the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. The group cast the decision as a response to calls by Iraq’s top Shiite religious authority and the Iran-aligned Coordination Framework, the largest bloc in Parliament that dominates Iraqi politics.
Rebecca Whittaker2 June 2026 23:00Over 2,000 US diplomats left foreign service over the last year
As the United States grapples with a deadlock in negotiations with Iran, NBC News has revealed that over 2,000 US diplomats left the foreign service over the last year, according to figures by the American Foreign Services Association.
The officials were either laid off or forced to retire, according to the report.
Current and former state department officials say that the reduction in numbers is a critical disadvantage for the US at this time. The US diplomatic service was made up of 13,000 employees in 2024.
Rebecca Whittaker2 June 2026 22:00
