June 28, 2026, 5:51 p.mJune 28, 2026, 5:51 p.m
Almost two weeks after the signing of a framework agreement, the conflict between the USA and Iran has escalated again. US forces attacked Iranian targets in response to the attack on a cargo ship. The Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) attacked targets in the US-allied Gulf states of Kuwait and Bahrain.
Meanwhile, in southern Lebanon, Israel fired on fighters from the Iran-allied Hezbollah militia. Despite recent efforts to curb the violence and framework agreements, the signs in the region continue to be stormy.
Iranian attacks in Kuwait and Bahrain
The Revolutionary Guards said that early in the morning, the Navy and Air Force destroyed eight US Army infrastructure targets in a missile and drone operation. These are targets at the US Ali Al-Salem Air Force Base in Kuwait and the US 5th Naval Fleet in Mina Salman, Bahrain. The information could not initially be independently verified.
The Kuwaiti army announced during the night that its air defense was taking action against enemy missile and drone attacks. The Gulf state of Bahrain confirmed an Iranian attack with drones and missiles. The Foreign Ministry spoke of a “dangerous escalation” that followed a “deliberate pattern of repeated attacks” against the country.
Second US attack on Iran since framework agreement
On Sunday night, US forces launched the second wave of attacks against Iran since the framework agreement was signed. Several targets – including air defense positions, drone depots and surveillance infrastructure – were attacked, the Centcom regional command said.
On Saturday night, the USA announced that it had attacked Iranian missile and drone storage facilities as well as radar systems near the coast from the air – in response to the attack on a cargo ship.
Iran reclaims control of Strait of Hormuz
The fact that the conflict is flaring up again has to do with the unresolved situation on the Strait of Hormuz. After the attacks by the USA and Israel began on February 28, Iran effectively brought shipping traffic through the strait to a standstill with threats and attacks and used these as leverage in the struggle for a negotiated solution.
The Strait of Hormuz, photo taken on June 21, 2026.Image: www.imago-images.de
The opening of the strait is a central component of the framework agreement – but how and under what conditions shipping traffic will flow through the strait in the future is still far from clear. Iran now appears to be using the vagueness of the agreement to create facts: The cargo ship was attacked off the coast of Oman on Thursday after Iran’s Revolutionary Guards warned that passage was only safe on routes set by Tehran.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said during a visit to Baghdad that the sea route would “be placed fully under the administration of Iran again within the next 30 days.” Responsibility for the strait lies solely with Iran. “Any interference or attempt to create parallel structures would further complicate the situation. The incidents and clashes of the past two nights in the Strait of Hormuz confirm this assessment,” said Araghchi.
According to the British Merchant Shipping Safety Authority, another cargo ship was hit by a missile on Saturday.
Trump threatens to destroy Iran
US President Donald Trump described the US attack as retaliation for another ceasefire violation by Tehran. «It’s quite possible that they will never learn! There may come a point where we can no longer be rational and will be forced to militarily complete the work we have begun very successfully,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. “If that happens, the Islamic Republic of Iran will no longer exist!”
Hezbollah fighters killed in southern Lebanon
A sticking point in the conflict between the USA and Iran is also the conflict in Lebanon between the Tehran-backed Hezbollah militia and Israel. Although Israel and the Lebanese government agreed on a framework agreement on Friday on a path to peace and security after decades of war, the situation in southern Lebanon remains volatile.
The Israeli flag flies on a destroyed building in southern Lebanon, June 28, 2026.Image: keystone
The Israeli army said it had killed several Hezbollah fighters in the Nabatiya area. They were armed with an anti-tank missile and posed an immediate threat. According to the military, an Israeli soldier was killed in another confrontation with a Hezbollah fighter that night. The Lebanese news agency NNA reported further Israeli attacks in the south despite the ceasefire.
Hezbollah rejects framework agreement
Hezbollah was not involved in the negotiations and rejects the agreement, which also calls for their disarmament. The framework agreement obliges Israel – contrary to what the leadership in Tehran and Hezbollah have demanded – to withdraw completely from southern Lebanon only when non-state groups such as Hezbollah are disarmed. However, the agreement stipulates that the Israeli army will gradually withdraw from two zones and the Lebanese army will take control there. (sda/dpa)