Iran war: US and Iran trade fire amid stalled talks

The US and Iran traded renewed fire in the Persian Gulf in a flareup of tensions on Wednesday. The fighting comes as peace efforts remain stalled.

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A ship in the Strait of Hormuz
Diplomatic talks to reopen the Strait of Hormuz remain stalled [FILE: May 22, 2026]Image: Majid Asgaripour/WANA/REUTERS

Skip next section What you need to know

What you need to know

  • US military said it carried out strikes on Iran’s Qeshm Island “in response to attempted attacks by Iran”
  • US military also said Iranian missiles fired toward Bahrain and Kuwait had “failed to hit their intended target”
  • Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards said they fired at US military installations in response to the US strikes on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz

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Keep reading here for the latest news related to the Iran war on June 3, 2026:

Skip next section Talks between Israel and Lebanon to resume Wednesday06/03/2026June 3, 2026

Talks between Israel and Lebanon to resume Wednesday

High-stakes talks between Israel and Lebanon are set to resume Wednesday at the US State Department.

Both Israel and Lebanon are represented by their ambassadors to the US, CNN reported.

On Tuesday, Israel kept up strikes on a string of towns in southern Lebanon, despite a US-mediated partial ceasefire ​announced on Monday.

President Donald Trump on Monday held two tense calls with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and angrily confronted him on one of the phone calls, according to reports.

Trump called Netanyahu after the Israeli president on Monday ordered strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs, known as Dahiyeh.

Israel pounded Dahiyeh early in the war but has carried out only two strikes there since Trump declared a Lebanon ceasefire in April.

Tehran has insisted that Lebanon should be part of a ceasefire agreement to facilitate negotiations to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and lift a US blockade of Iranian ports. 

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https://p.dw.com/p/5El5rSkip next section Renewed attacks take place amid stalled diplomatic efforts06/03/2026June 3, 2026

Renewed attacks take place amid stalled diplomatic efforts

The renewed attacks happened after Iran stopped communicating with mediators about extending a ceasefire in the war with the US and Israel, according to reports Tuesday from two semiofficial Iranian news agencies.

President Donald Trump disputed the claim and said talks were continuing.

The reports by the Fars and Tasnim news agencies, both believed to be close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, came as tensions flared in Israel’s separate-but-related fight against the Iranian-backed militia Hezbollah in Lebanon.

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https://p.dw.com/p/5El1rSkip next section US fired at ship headed toward Iranian port, CENTCOM says06/03/2026June 3, 2026

US fired at ship headed toward Iranian port, CENTCOM says

Trump met with top aides to discuss the ceasefire agreement on May 27
Trump met with top aides to discuss the ceasefire agreement on May 27 Image: Samuel Corum/AdMedia/IMAGO

In other developments, the US military said it fired a missile to disable an oil tanker heading for the Iranian port of Kharg Island.

It was the seventh ship stopped by the military while trying to run a maritime blockade on Iran, US Central Command said.

The Botswana-flagged merchant vessel M/T Lexie was stopped by an aircraft firing a Hellfire missile into its engine room after the crew ignored repeated warnings over 24 hours, the post said.

President Donald Trump announced the maritime blockade after earlier talks between Iranian and American delegations fell through in April.  

https://p.dw.com/p/5El1sSkip next section US and Iran launched renewed strikes in Gulf06/03/2026June 3, 2026

US and Iran launched renewed strikes in Gulf

US Central Command said Iran fired missiles at Kuwait and Bahrain, which were thwarted or failed, prompting US forces to hit back at Iran’s Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz.

“Iran launched several ballistic missiles toward regional neighbors; however, all failed to hit their intended targets. Two Iranian missiles fired at Kuwait fell short or broke apart enroute, and three missiles launched at Bahrain were immediately intercepted by U.S. and Bahrain air defense forces,” CENTCOM said on X.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said ​it had attacked the US Fifth Fleet headquarters, a US naval facility in Bahrain, with missiles and drones.

Iranian state media reported the Guards launched the attack in response to US strikes on Qeshm Island.

Iran and the US said last week that they had reached a tentative deal to halt ​the war, but the two sides have yet to sign off on any agreement

https://p.dw.com/p/5El1oSkip next section Welcome to our blog06/03/2026June 3, 2026

Welcome to our blog

Roshni Majumdar Editor

The US and Iran traded renewed fire in the Middle East on Wednesday as tensions continued over the fate of peace talks to eventually bring an end to the conflict.

The US military said it carried out “self-defense” strikes on Iran’s Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz.

The US Central Command said the strikes were in response to what it described as “attempted attacks by Iran across the Middle East.”

The US military earlier said it stopped an oil tanker headed toward Iran that was trying to evade a US maritime blockade around the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard said it had targeted the headquarters of the US Navy’s 5th Fleet in Bahrain and another country in its attack, without naming Kuwait.

Iran initially fired drones at a vessel transiting the Persian Gulf after the US targeted the oil tanker, US officials said.

Iran said its forces fired drones and missiles targeting US installations in response to the US attack on Iran’s Qeshm Island.

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