Tehran: The Aerospace Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it targeted key US military facilities at four bases in Kuwait and Bahrain on Thursday in retaliation for American strikes inside Iran.
According to Iran’s state-run Press TV, the IRGC identified the targeted facilities as Camp Arifjan and Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait, along with Juffair and Sheikh Isa Air Base in Bahrain. The statement said the operation involved missiles and drones.
“In the first phase of its punitive response, IRGC naval and aerospace forces launched a joint missile and drone strike on US Camp Arifjan and Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait, and on its bases in Juffair and at Sheikh Isa Air Base in Bahrain,” the IRGC said, according to Press TV.
The IRGC condemned the US strikes as a “violation of commitments” and vowed to continue responding to what it described as aggression by the “child-killing US military.”
Referring to the latest American strikes, the IRGC said, “The treacherous US, once again violating its commitments, launched attacks on multiple locations in Iran’s southern coastal provinces. In another anti-civilian act, it also targeted two bridges in the country’s eastern provinces leading to the holy city of Mashhad in an attempt to overshadow the martyred Leader’s farewell ceremony,” Press TV reported.
The IRGC described the US action, carried out during the ongoing funeral ceremonies for former Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as a crime that would “awaken people around the world.”
“They fail to realise that such crimes will only further awaken people around the world and strengthen their resolve to play a greater role in the struggle against the ‘Great Satan,'” the statement said, according to Press TV.
The IRGC warned that the US military action would receive a “crushing response” and said Iranian strikes would expand to other American bases in the region if Washington carried out further attacks.
“Fighters of Islam will not leave the aggression of the child-killing US military unanswered. We warn the child-killing US military that if it repeats its acts of aggression, its crushing response will be expanded to include other American bases across the region,” the statement added.
Meanwhile, Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB reported that Iranian strikes directly hit the headquarters of the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain. It also claimed that ballistic missiles targeting American bases were launched from Bushehr, the same city targeted by US strikes hours earlier.
IRIB further reported that Kuwait’s military was intercepting incoming missiles and drones using its air defense systems.
The Iranian retaliation came after US Central Command (CENTCOM) said Wednesday (local time) that it had launched additional strikes against Iran to further degrade Tehran’s ability to threaten freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz following recent attacks on commercial shipping and civilian crews.
In a post on X, CENTCOM said: “At the direction of the Commander in Chief, U.S. Central Command forces have started conducting additional strikes against Iran to further degrade their ability to threaten freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.”
Meanwhile, Iran’s southeastern port city of Chabahar experienced widespread power outages following US airstrikes, according to CNN, citing Iranian state media.
Explosions were also reported in the southern Iranian city of Bushehr, CNN reported, citing the semi-official Fars News Agency.
