Daijiworld Media Network – Tehran
Tehran, Jul 29: Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has claimed responsibility for a ballistic missile attack targeting a US air base and the headquarters of the US Central Command (CENTCOM) in Jordan, saying the operation was carried out in retaliation for recent US military strikes against Iran.
In a statement carried by the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), the IRGC said its Aerospace Force launched ballistic missiles at the US military facilities in Jordan and vowed to continue its response as long as Iran faces what it described as "threats, illegal and hostile moves" by US forces.
The latest exchange comes amid heightened tensions in West Asia following recent military confrontations between Iran and the United States.
The US military confirmed that multiple ballistic missiles were launched from Iran but said all of them were successfully intercepted.
"At 5:45 p.m. ET today, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces launched multiple ballistic missiles from Iran in an attempted surprise attack on US forces based in the Middle East," the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a post on X, adding that all the missiles were intercepted and US forces remain on high alert.
The development follows a series of IRGC claims on July 24, when it said it had carried out retaliatory strikes on US military assets in Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan.
According to statements carried by the IRGC's official outlet Sepah News, the force claimed to have destroyed a large US ammunition depot at Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait using kamikaze drones and targeted facilities housing US troops at the base.
The IRGC also claimed it had destroyed the remaining building of a US firm's data centre in Bahrain, struck three US ammunition and equipment depots at Al-Adiri Camp in Kuwait, and targeted the watchtower of the US Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain.
It further alleged that US fighter aircraft sustained damage after strikes on Al-Azraq Air Base in Jordan and that barracks housing US personnel were also targeted.
The IRGC additionally claimed to have destroyed a Patriot air defence system, an espionage balloon and struck US troop accommodation facilities during operations against US military positions in Erbil, the capital of Iraq's Kurdistan region.
The US has not confirmed the Iranian claims regarding the reported damage to its military facilities.