Iran’s Retaliatory Strikes Ignite Fires and Tensions Across Gulf Allies

On Sunday, a string of Iranian drones and missiles slammed into three of the United States’ Gulf partners – Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan – just hours after Washington launched another night raid on Iran’s partly‑built Darkhovin nuclear plant. The retaliation was swift, fierce and, in Kuwait’s case, costly: a fire erupted at a combined power and desalination station, the second such incident in as many days.

Kuwaiti military officials said the strike ignited a blaze that damaged both electricity generators and water‑treatment units. Sirens wailed across the city as emergency crews scrambled to contain the flames. “This is a heinous act of aggression targeting civilian infrastructure,” a spokesperson warned, echoing similar accusations from Bahrain and Jordan.

In Bahrain, authorities reported that missile‑and‑drone attacks were intercepted before they could hit critical sites. Jordan, which hosts a US‑run ammunition depot at Camp al‑Adiri and the Ali Al Salem airbase, claimed to have shot down three of four incoming missiles, though a single projectile reportedly struck a nearby radar installation.

The Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps boasted that it had delivered “heavy blows” to US bases in both Jordan and Kuwait. Meanwhile, the regular Iranian army said its missiles aimed at the US ammunition depot and the air‑defence radars at Ali Al Salem, underscoring how the conflict is now spilling over into the territories that house American forces.

Washington, for its part, defended the night‑long raids on Iranian soil as a response to earlier attacks that killed two US service members in Jordan. The US also said the strikes were meant to “degrade Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.” The attacks hit sites in Hormozgan and Khuzestan provinces, as well as Qeshm Island, but were reportedly less intense than the previous nights.

Iran’s nuclear agency later confirmed that the US bombardment struck the under‑construction Darkhovin plant, condemning it as a breach of international law. The International Atomic Energy Agency noted that the facility, still in its early phases, contained no nuclear material at the time of the last inspector visit.

Regional leaders rushed to denounce the escalation. Qatar’s prime minister expressed “the strongest condemnation” of Tehran’s moves and urged a return to diplomacy. The United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Lebanon also condemned the attacks, calling for an immediate halt to hostilities and reaffirming support for the interim cease‑fire agreement signed on June 16.

Amid the turmoil, the Strait of Hormuz remained a flashpoint. The IRGC claimed it had blocked two merchant vessels that tried to use a “dangerous route,” alleging an accident, while the US maintained that Iran does not control the waterway and reinstated its own blockade of Iranian ports. Scholars say the conflict has become an existential fight for Tehran, while the United States and Israel see it as a battle over policy choices.