Iran Strikes US Military Sites in Kuwait and Bahrain
Iran says it struck US military facilities in Kuwait and Bahrain after American attacks on Iranian territory, escalating tensions in the region.
Iran has launched a retaliatory strike on US military facilities in Kuwait and Bahrain after overnight American attacks on Iranian territory, according to a statement by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps published by Fars.
The IRGC said the first phase of its response to Washington’s actions was carried out by the corps’ naval and aerospace forces. As part of the joint operation, missiles and drones were used against 85 key US targets. The listed sites included facilities at Salman Port, which hosts the US Navy’s 5th Fleet in Bahrain, as well as Ali Al-Salem Air Base in Kuwait. The IRGC also said an American MQ-9 drone had been shot down.
The escalation followed a series of US strikes on Iran overnight on July 8. Washington said the operation was linked to alleged Iranian attacks on commercial vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz. US Central Command reported that more than 80 targets had been hit, describing the goal as preventing Tehran from disrupting shipping through the waterway.
NBC, citing an unnamed US official, reported that the latest American attack was larger in scale than previous operations. After the strikes, Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters vowed a harsh response.
Air raid sirens were later heard in Kuwait and Bahrain. Kuwait’s military said it was repelling missile and drone attacks.
At the same time, The Wall Street Journal, citing sources, reported that Washington still hopes to keep negotiations with Tehran alive despite the strikes. Iran’s Foreign Ministry, meanwhile, described the US actions as a serious violation of the memorandum of understanding between the two sides.