The US military said that Kuwait had intercepted missiles launched by Iran late Wednesday night, calling the Iranian attack on one of the US top allies in the Persian Gulf an "egregious ceasefire violation."
The attack on Kuwait was the latest flare-up to shake the fragile ceasefire reached last month between the US and Iran.
Kuwait had earlier announced an attack on its territory, and Iran announced it had retaliated after strikes earlier in the week on a US base in an Gulf state it did not name.
Kuwait’s military confirmed the attack but did not immediately say what was targeted or whether there were casualties.
The Iranian strike came after, earlier in the week, the US said it had struck Iranian missile launch sites, minelaying boats and attack drones it said posed threats near the blockaded Strait of Hormuz.
The attack comes as the Middle East remains on the edge over the ceasefire and ongoing negotiations between Tehran and Washington. According to the AP, those talks have so far failed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow entrance to the Persian Gulf through which facilitates about a fifth of the global oil and natural gas trade.
Its continued closure has deepened concerns about global energy supplies, with experts warning that shortages could worsen in the coming weeks.
The AP earlier reported that US officials said American forces shot down four Iranian one-way attack drones near the Strait of Hormuz. The US military also struck an Iranian ground control station in Bandar Abbas that officials said was preparing to launch another drone.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard acknowledged the strike near Bandar Abbas airport and said it launched its own retaliatory attack on the air base involved. It remains unclear whether the attack on Kuwait was directly connected to that exchange.