Kuwait on Wednesday denounced an Iranian drone strike on its airport, the first deadly salvo since the implementation of a ceasefire increasingly weakened by clashes between Iran and the United States in the Gulf.

Traffic was suspended for several hours after the attack, which killed an Indian national and injured 63 others, including brain hemorrhages and amputations.

Hosting American bases, the small country had been regularly targeted by Iran in retaliation for the Israeli-American offensive launched on February 28.

After the ceasefire of April 8 between the United States and Iran, hostilities had virtually ceased. But they have resumed in recent days, particularly around the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic maritime route for hydrocarbons blocked by Tehran.

Kuwait says it was targeted on Wednesday by a total of 13 Iranian ballistic missiles and 17 Iranian drones.

"The explosions kept coming and they were very close to residential areas. For the first time, the children felt the gravity of the situation," Hassan Sheikh, a 40-year-old Pakistani living not far from the airport, told AFP.

These new attacks have pushed oil prices back up to nearly $100, after markets eased last week in hopes of an agreement between Tehran and Washington.

During the night, Iran also launched several missiles towards Bahrain, according to the US Central Command (Centcom).

In response, the US military conducted "defensive strikes" on the Iranian island of Qeshm in the Strait of Hormuz, hitting a communications tower according to Tehran.

- Diplomatic ambiguity -

The Revolutionary Guards said they responded to this attack and that of an Iranian oil tanker by targeting a ship linked to Israel and the United States, an airbase in Kuwait and the headquarters of the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain.

They threatened the United States with a "decisive and overwhelming response to the slightest new incident".

And Iranian diplomacy has accused Kuwait and Bahrain of allowing Washington to use their territory for "aggressive actions against Iran".

Kuwait denied this, and also announced the expulsion of two members of the Iranian embassy.

Speaking on CNBC about the Iranian attacks, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that Iran was playing "with fire." "Israel is ready and American forces are ready" to resume hostilities "forcefully" if necessary, he warned.

On the diplomatic front, uncertainty remains: Iranian media outlets reported on Monday that Tehran had suspended indirect talks with the United States because of the Israeli offensive in Lebanon - where Tehran is demanding an end to hostilities for any agreement with Washington.

Donald Trump asserted that discussions were continuing "without interruption." He told the New York Post that he "would like to meet" Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, deeming him genuinely "involved" in Tehran's decisions even though he has not appeared in public since his appointment in March.

But according to press reports, the US president has hardened his demands, insisting on including nuclear issues in the current negotiations, while Iran wants to postpone this matter.

- "Starting tomorrow" -

The Guardians had also threatened on Monday to open "new fronts" in retaliation for the Israeli army's advance into Lebanon, the deepest in nearly 30 years, with the stated objective of "eliminating" the Iranian-backed Hezbollah.

As Israeli and Lebanese delegations meet again in Washington on Wednesday, Israeli strikes in Lebanon left at least nine dead on Wednesday, including a soldier and two rescuers.

Israel also announced that it had intercepted an "enemy aircraft" and two shots fired from Lebanon, while Hezbollah claimed responsibility for its first attack on Israeli soil since Monday evening.

Israel and Lebanon could conclude a peace agreement "as early as tomorrow" without the obstacle of the Shiite movement, which opposes negotiations, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio argued on Tuesday.

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam reiterates that talks with Israel remain "the least costly option for Lebanon," which was drawn into the regional war on March 2 by Hezbollah fire on the neighboring country.