Iran Claims Strikes on US Bases in Kuwait, UAE as Tensions Escalate Over Wedding Attack

Iran has claimed responsibility for missile and drone strikes on US military facilities in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, saying the attacks were retaliation for a deadly strike on a wedding in Iran that Tehran blamed on Washington.

The latest escalation comes as the six-month conflict remains unresolved, with Iran maintaining pressure around the strategic Strait of Hormuz while the United States continues efforts to restrict Iranian ports and trade.

Kuwait’s military said it intercepted a missile and drone attack launched from Iran on Thursday. Iran’s army, however, said its forces struck US assets at Ahmad al-Jaber Air Base in Kuwait with missiles and drones. Tehran also claimed to have attacked Al Minhad Air Base in the UAE, although Emirati authorities did not report an attack on the facility.

The retaliation followed claims by the Iranian Red Crescent that a missile strike hit a wedding in the coastal town of Kuhestak on Tuesday night, killing four people, including a child, and injuring more than 50 others. US Vice President JD Vance said Washington was investigating the allegation but expressed strong scepticism over reports from Iranian state media.

Vance said the United States was looking into what happened, while noting that Iranian state media had previously been unreliable in its reporting of events during the conflict. US Central Command spokesman Tim Hawkins also rejected allegations that American forces deliberately target civilians, accusing Iran’s Revolutionary Guards of doing so instead.

Iranian officials have vowed retaliation over the reported wedding casualties. Revolutionary Guards chief Ahmad Vahidi said the deaths would not go unanswered, as Tehran continued launching attacks it said were aimed at US military positions across the Middle East, including in Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan, Iraq’s Kurdistan region and the UAE.

The escalation follows extensive US bombardment of targets in Iran that Iranian authorities said killed at least 19 people between Tuesday and Wednesday. Iran’s Tasnim news agency also reported the deaths of six naval personnel in US attacks, although it remained unclear whether they were included in the reported 19 fatalities.

Despite the continuing attacks, Vance disputed describing the situation as an active war, saying major combat operations following the US-Israeli offensive that began on February 28 had lasted about six weeks. Iranian security official Mohsen Rezaei has warned that Tehran has adopted a new strategy, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Iran’s leadership is under severe pressure.

The United States is also escalating economic pressure on Tehran, with Energy Secretary Chris Wright promising tougher sanctions against countries and businesses supporting Iran’s economy. Meanwhile, ordinary Iranians have voiced concern over the renewed violence, with some calling for both sides to return to negotiations and warning that civilians are bearing the greatest burden of the conflict.

The conflict began on February 28 with US and Israeli attacks on Iran that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. A fragile ceasefire later collapsed in July following attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global energy route. Israel has meanwhile warned that it will respond forcefully to any Iranian attack as the Jewish high holiday season approaches in mid-September.