US President Donald Trump warned Iran ‘will no longer exist’ if strikes continue, while Tehran has threatened to halt negotiations.
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Tehran: Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said on Sunday that its naval and aerospace forces carried out a coordinated missile and drone operation targeting multiple US military facilities in the Gulf, describing the action as retaliation for what it called recent US military aggression.
According to Iran’s state news agency IRNA, the operation was conducted between 2:00 a.m. and 3:00 a.m. local time, citing a statement issued by the IRGC’s Public Relations Office.
The IRGC claimed that ballistic missiles and drones struck eight US military-related infrastructure sites, including Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait and the headquarters of the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain. It said the strikes were launched in response to what it alleged were earlier US attacks on five Iranian coastal positions following an incident involving the IRGC Navy.
The statement further asserted that, under what it described as the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), Iran is responsible for regulating transit through the Strait of Hormuz. It warned that vessels found violating those arrangements would face stricter enforcement measures in the future.
The IRGC also cautioned that any future military action against Iran, regardless of its scale, would be met with what it described as a “crushing response.” It further claimed that any breach of the existing ceasefire arrangements could lead to the suspension of related processes.
US Position
As of Sunday, US authorities had not publicly confirmed the IRGC’s claims that American military facilities in Kuwait and Bahrain were struck. The US Department of Defense has also not independently verified Iran’s account of the alleged operation or the reported attacks on Iranian coastal positions.
Military analysts note that claims made by parties during periods of heightened regional tensions often cannot be independently verified immediately. Officials in Kuwait and Bahrain had also not issued statements confirming damage to the installations mentioned by the IRGC at the time of publication.
The reported developments come amid heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran, with both sides exchanging accusations over recent military activities in the Gulf region.