Swapna Kumbar , Bengaluru - Tehran launched missiles and drones toward Bahrain and Kuwait after fresh U.S. strikes, further straining an already fragile ceasefire. At the same time, Iraq has begun hosting funeral ceremonies for Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei in Najaf and Karbala.

According to reports, Iran’s strikes were directed at Gulf states that host U.S. military facilities, with Bahrain and Kuwait both activating air defenses amid the escalation. The U.S. had carried out another round of airstrikes on Iranian targets shortly before Tehran’s retaliation, keeping the wider conflict on a dangerous cycle of action and response. Officials and regional monitors warned that the exchange threatened the interim understanding meant to limit hostilities and keep diplomatic channels alive.

In Iraq, preparations for Khamenei’s funeral procession have been under way for days, with Najaf and Karbala set to hold ceremonies attended by large crowds. Reports say the body was expected to move through Najaf’s holy sites before proceeding to Karbala and then onward to Mashhad for burial, making the Iraqi stop an important part of the mourning route. The scale of the event underscores both the political symbolism of the funeral and Iraq’s role as a key religious and logistical stop in the wider aftermath of Khamenei’s death.

The latest developments show two tracks moving at once military escalation in the Gulf and a large-scale funeral procession across Iraq. Both are shaping the next phase of the West Asia crisis, with diplomacy still fragile and tensions still high.