Kuwait and Bahrain faced renewed aerial attacks from Iran on Thursday, their militaries said, as Tehran and Washington exchanged strikes in a battle for control of the vital Strait of Hormuz.

The Kuwaiti army said it was responding to a fresh salvo of drones, blaming “Iranian aggression”, while an AFP journalist reported hearing explosions near the Gulf state’s capital Kuwait City.

Kuwait and the island kingdom of Bahrain both said earlier on Thursday that their air defences had dealt with a previous round of Iranian attacks, with warning sirens sounding in Manama, the Bahraini capital.

Iran said it targeted radar systems, an air defence system, and fuel storage facilities at the Ali al-Salem airbase in Kuwait, as well as US military installations at Sheikh Isa Airbase in Bahrain.

The two Gulf nations have faced repeated attacks from Iran since a July 7 resumption of hostilities between Washington and Tehran.

The renewed fighting comes despite a June agreement for a 60-day truce aimed at reaching a permanent end to the war and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran has said it is attacking the US military in the region, but both Bahrain and Kuwait have accused the Islamic republic of targeting civilian sites.

Hostilities have reached a level not seen since before an April 8 ceasefire, with the latest fighting sparked by Iran’s targeting of ships transiting Hormuz, which is a vital waterway for Gulf exports of oil and gas.