Middle East — 2026-06-28

US Launches Second Day of Strikes on Iran as Trump Threatens to Complete the Job; Iran Retaliates Against Bahrain and Kuwait

BLUFMatched escalation across two days has collapsed the June 17 framework, and Iran will likely strike at least one additional US installation in the Gulf within seven days.

The US military struck Iranian targets at Sirik, Bandar-e Lengeh, and Qeshm Island on Saturday for the second consecutive day, per Axios and Al Jazeera 12. CENTCOM said the strikes hit air defense sites, drone storage, and coastal communications facilities after the IRGC attacked the M/T Kiku tanker in the Strait of Hormuz with a drone while the vessel was carrying over two million barrels of crude 1. Iran's IRGC then launched ballistic missiles and drones at US Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait and the US Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain; Bahrain sounded air raid sirens and Kuwait activated air defenses, with a US official telling Reuters no US casualties or major damage had occurred 12. Trump posted Saturday night that the US could be "forced to militarily complete the job" and that "the Islamic Republic of Iran will no longer exist" 1.

Analysis
The June 17 MoU has ceased to function as an operational ceasefire constraint, with Iran's strikes on US facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait narrowing Washington's political latitude to cast further action as proportionate or defensive. Trump's "complete the job" language, reported by Axios via named officials, signals a potential shift in US military objectives beyond punitive raids. Iran will likely conduct at least one additional ballistic missile or drone attack against a US military installation in the Gulf within seven days. Moderate confidence reflects the consistent matched-escalation pattern across both days and the IRGC's public commitment to broaden future responses, though internal Tehran deliberations remain outside available sourcing. Tehran's deliberate calibration, producing no US casualties and no structural damage, may instead preserve a negotiated exit, a distinction Gulf governments in Bahrain and Kuwait must weigh as they assess whether continued US basing remains tenable under direct targeting.

3 sources