A fragile ceasefire between Iran and the United States is under even more pressure as both sides traded attacks overnight on June 3. U.S. Central Command said it launched more “self-defense” strikes against Iran. The Americans had to shoot down missiles and drones fired by Iran that were traveling toward ships and targets in Gulf allied countries.
The United States conducted its retaliatory strikes on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz, the BBC reported. Central Command revealed that Iran fired two missiles at Kuwait and three at Bahrain.
A B-2 Spirit makes a low pass flyover as part of the Warriors over the Wasatch airshow at Hill Air Force Base June 29, 2024. The 2024 Warriors over the Wasatch airshow was centered around the “Breaking Barriers Together” theme, celebrating one community. The B-2 Spirit, the predecessor to the new B-21 Raider, has been the U.S. Air Force’s premiere stealth bomber for more than 20 years. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Jack Rodgers)
A 2nd Air Refueling Squadron KC-10 Extender from Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., prepares to refuel a B-2 Spirit, during a training exercise near Kansas, Nov. 10, 2016. The KC-10 Extender is an Air Mobility Command advanced tanker and cargo aircraft designed to provide increased global mobility for U.S. armed forces. Although the KC-l0’s primary mission is aerial refueling, it can combine the tasks of a tanker and cargo aircraft by refueling fighters and simultaneously carry the fighter support personnel and equipment on overseas deployments. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Keith James/Released)
A B-2 Spirit assigned to the 509th Bomb Wing flies overhead at RAF Fairford, England, Aug. 25, 2021. The B-2 flyover was part of a Bomber Task Force mission in which aircraft conduct theater and flight training across Europe and Africa. The BTF missions, which have been occurring since 2018, provide theater familiarization for aircrew members and opportunities for U.S. integration with NATO allies and regional partners. The bomber missions enhance readiness and provide the training necessary to respond to any potential crisis or challenge across the globe. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Eugene Oliver)
Kuwait Aborbs an Attack on a Major Airport
Kuwait was forced to temporarily close its airport. Iranian drones killed one person there. The unmanned attack craft caused extensive damage.
Defense Ministry public affairs officer Brig. Gen. Saud Abdulaziz Al-Otaibi said that “a number of hostile drones had targeted Kuwait International Airport’s passenger building, severely damaging the building and injuring a number of individuals,” according to the Associated Press.
Sixty Kuwaitis Injured
The BBC reported that drones also hit structures outside the airport, and 60 Kuwaitis were wounded. Kuwait’s defense ministry spokesperson, the BBC also noted that Kuwait’s Brig. Gen. Saud Abdulaziz Al-Otaibi called the attack “criminal Iranian aggression.”
Bahrain Defends Itself
The Americans and the Bahrainis also eliminated Iranian missiles fired at the kingdom. The U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet is located there. Three enemy projectiles and a strong force of drones were destroyed by American and Bahraini efforts.
To fight back, the U.S. military targeted Qeshm Island in a retaliatory strike where a command and control center was located. Iran’s state-run media said a telecommunications tower was destroyed, NPR reported.
A U.S. Air Force B-52H Stratofortress assigned to the 2nd Bomb Wing prepares to depart for a Bomber Task Force mission at Barksdale Air Force Base, La., May 18, 2025. These bomber missions are representative of the U.S. commitment to our allies and enhancing regional security. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Jaiyah Lewis)
U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Jacob Durham, left, and Staff Sgt. Kenneth Garris, crew chiefs assigned to the 307th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, prepare to launch a B-52H Stratofortress in support of U.S. Air Force Weapons School Integration (WSINT) at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, June 3, 2025. WSINT serves as the culminating exercise for U.S. Air Force Weapons School students, bringing together air, space, and cyber forces in realistic, mission-critical training scenarios that mirror the complexities of modern warfare. (U.S. Air Force photo by William R. Lewis)
Trump Continues Optimism
The United States and Iran are still plotting a way forward in negotiations, as both countries alternately resume and pause talks to extend the ceasefire. President Donald Trump sometimes says progress has been made and that Iran has vowed to give up its pursuit of a nuclear weapon, and other times Iran signals it has pulled out of the negotiations for a lasting peace.
Israel Must Back Down
Iran also wants guarantees that Israel will refrain from striking Hezbollah in Lebanon. Trump appeared to be annoyed with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his country’s actions against the Lebanese terror group, believing that these attacks had created problems for U.S.-Iran peacemaking efforts. Tehran wants no more strikes in Lebanon before it returns to the table.
F-16I Sufa. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Meanwhile, the Strait of Hormuz has been blocked, where 20 to 25 percent of the world’s oil and gas must transit. The United States has its own blockade of Iranian ports in the Strait.
The Americans Struck an Unladen Tanker
Central Command revealed it had struck and “disabled” an empty oil tanker that was steaming towards Iran. A U.S. aircraft fired a Hellfire missile into the engine room of the Botswana-flagged M/T vessel, after its crew “ignored repeated warnings,” the Americans explained, as noted by the BBC.
Trump Believes There is Progress
On June 3, Trump said that Iran has agreed to stop efforts to create a nuclear device. He told a podcast from the New York Post that Tehran could always change its mind.
“I did have to say we have to do something about Iran, because regardless of how well we’re doing [economically], we can’t let them have a nuclear weapon,” he said in the interview that CNBC recounted. “They’ve already agreed they’re not going to have a nuclear weapon.”
Rubio Spars with Lawmakers on Capitol Hill
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Congress on June 2 that peace talks were advancing. “There is the prospect before us, which could happen today, it could happen tomorrow, it could happen next week, that for the first time, certainly in my memory, they have agreed to negotiate aspects of their nuclear program that just a month ago, just a year ago, they were refusing to even mention, much less enter into discussions about,” he said.
Kinetic Missile Fight Rears Its Ugly Head
The United States and Iran are clashing in what I call the “Kinetic Missile Fight.” This is the new dominant form of warfare. The conflict is decided primarily by large-scale exchanges of missiles and drones rather than close-in engagements by ships, airplanes, or ground forces.
The Kinetic Missile Fight happens when long-range precision missiles (cruise, ballistic, anti-ship, hypersonic, and air-launched standoff weapons) can take out targets hundreds or even thousands of miles away. Logistics and missile inventories may matter as much as battlefield tactics. The side that can manufacture and replenish missiles and interceptors faster could gain a decisive advantage in a prolonged conflict.
How Can There Be a Ceasefire If Both Countries Are Fighting
If the Kinetic Missile Fight continues, it will be difficult for the United States and Iran to negotiate. What is also frustrating is that the Americans are still claiming that there is a ceasefire, but there are ample exchanges of missiles and drones. The reversion to the Kinetic Missile Fight is not good news for the peace process.
The first thing that needs to happen is for both sides to stop fighting. No diplomatic gains can happen with the Kinetic Missile Fight raging. The negotiations have been hampered by missile and drone launches.
Can Trump Stay Off the Airwaves Until There Is a Legitimate Breakthrough?
Trump must order the U.S. Central Command to stand down, and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps should refrain from further attacks. Trump should also try not to reveal details of the tentative breakthroughs unless they are part of a comprehensive, signed agreement that covers all the stipulations of a new peace deal. Giving interviews that boast about new items on his wish list only muddies the waters. It doesn’t make sense that progress toward peace is made while both countries attack each other.
The next 48 hours will be critical as the smoke clears from the strikes and the Trump negotiating team tries to earn back the Iranians’ trust. These tit-for-tat missile and drone strikes are no way to conduct diplomacy.
A cease-fire means just that, and breaking it every day can achieve little in terms of diplomatic progress.
About the Author: Brent M. Eastwood, PhD
Author of now over 3,500 articles on defense issues, Brent M. Eastwood, PhD, is the author of Don’t Turn Your Back On the World: A Conservative Foreign Policy and Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare, plus two other books. Brent was the founder and CEO of a tech firm that predicted world events using artificial intelligence. He served as a legislative fellow for US Senator Tim Scott and advised the senator on defense and foreign policy issues. He has taught at American University, George Washington University, and George Mason University. Brent is a former US Army Infantry officer. He can be followed on X @BMEastwood.
