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The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) has accused Iran of violating the ongoing ceasefire agreement by launching a ballistic missile at Kuwait late Wednesday, escalating tensions in the Gulf region. According to CENTCOM, the missile was intercepted by Kuwaiti defense forces and caused no damage or casualties. The attack came just hours after Iranian forces launched five one-way attack drones near the Strait of Hormuz, all of which were intercepted by the U.S. military.
CENTCOM called the missile launch an "egregious ceasefire violation" and stated that the drones had posed a "clear threat" to U.S. interests and commercial shipping in the area. The U.S. strikes earlier on Wednesday targeted a military site in southern Iran, which American officials said was being used to launch drones and threatened civilian vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. According to a report by NBC News, Iran claimed its missile attack was retaliation for these U.S. strikes on its territory.
The fragile truce, now in its third month, is under renewed pressure as both sides accuse each other of breaking the ceasefire. President Donald Trump told his Cabinet on Wednesday that the U.S. would not accept any deal that did not meet its terms, warning, "if a deal isn't reached with Iran then the U.S. will have to 'finish the job.'" He also reiterated that "no one is going to control" the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway critical to global oil and gas supplies. The U.S. administration announced new sanctions on Iran’s recently created Persian Gulf Strait Authority, describing the move as part of its ongoing economic pressure campaign.
Iranian officials, meanwhile, condemned what they described as "aggressive actions against Iran's territorial integrity and national sovereignty," saying they were determined to defend their country by all necessary means, as reported by Iranian state media and cited by Politico. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard warned that further U.S. attacks would lead to a "more decisive" response.
Economic pressures are mounting as the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz has caused spikes in oil and jet fuel prices, with airlines cancelling flights and the European Union warning of tighter energy markets if the crisis continues. According to Sky News, hopes for a peace deal—boosted by recent diplomacy involving Pakistan and Qatar—have dimmed after the latest hostilities.
While the White House remains confident that a deal is possible, Secretary of State Marco Rubio indicated talks could take "a few more days." Roughly 50,000 U.S. troops remain deployed in the region, prepared to respond if fighting resumes.