Daijiworld Media Network – Tehran
Tehran, Jul 8: Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Wednesday claimed it had launched missile and drone attacks on US military facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait following fresh American strikes on Iranian targets, marking a sharp escalation in tensions in the Gulf.
In a statement, the IRGC said it targeted the US Navy's Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain and Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait during a joint missile and drone operation. It also claimed to have shot down a US MQ-9 drone that was allegedly attempting to interfere with the operation.
Air raid sirens reportedly sounded in Bahrain and Kuwait, while the Kuwaiti military said its air defence systems were responding to what it described as "hostile" missile and drone attacks. There was no immediate confirmation from the US military regarding the reported strikes.
The latest escalation followed US military operations targeting Iranian assets after Washington accused Tehran of being responsible for attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
According to the US Central Command (CENTCOM), more than 60 small boats belonging to the IRGC were among the targets struck during the operation, which it said was intended to impose costs on Iran for attacks on international shipping.
"The unwarranted aggression by Iranian forces is a clear and dangerous violation of the ceasefire and undermines freedom of navigation," CENTCOM said in a statement.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte defended the US action, saying a strong response was necessary if the ceasefire had been violated.
Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters condemned the US strikes as a "blatant act of aggression" and warned of a "crushing response", while asserting that Tehran would not tolerate US interference in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf also accused Washington of violating the ceasefire, citing the latest military strikes, renewed oil sanctions and other actions by the United States.
Meanwhile, Iranian media reported explosions in Kharg Island, Qeshm Island, Sirik and Bandar Abbas. According to state media, several people were injured after an "enemy projectile" struck a commercial pier in Sirik, although no civilian deaths were immediately reported.
US officials said the strikes targeted Iranian air defence systems, coastal surveillance installations, surface-to-air missile batteries, anti-ship cruise missiles and drone launch sites.
The developments come amid renewed uncertainty over the fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran and ongoing tensions surrounding the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most critical oil shipping routes. Oil prices reportedly rose after the United States revoked a licence that had temporarily allowed Iran to export crude oil under an interim agreement.