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The United States military said on Wednesday that it had "successfully defeated" a series of Iranian missile and drone attacks in the Gulf and conducted "self-defence" strikes on Iran's Qeshm Island.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said it had struck the headquarters of the US Navy's Fifth Fleet in Bahrain and a separate air base in the region in response to the strike on Qeshm island, which the US Central Command denied.

"Iran launched several ballistic missiles toward regional neighbours; however, all failed to hit their intended targets," US Central Command (Centcom) said in a statement.

"Two Iranian missiles fired at Kuwait fell short or broke apart en route, and three missiles launched at Bahrain were immediately intercepted by US and Bahrain air defence forces."

Kuwait's military said its air defences were intercepting "hostile" missile and drone attacks.

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Later, Centcom said an "additional wave of Iranian drones attempting to attack US forces in Kuwait failed to impact intended targets," with several drones shot down.

Qeshm Island is located in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, the key shipping channel for Gulf oil and gas that has been largely blocked by Tehran since the United States and Israel attacked the country on 28 February.