ibn sultan
Tehran, July 8: Tensions in the Middle East escalated further on Wednesday after Iran claimed it launched missile and drone attacks on multiple US military installations in Bahrain and Kuwait in response to overnight American strikes on southern Iran.
According to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the retaliatory operation targeted 85 US military sites, including the US Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain and the Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait. Iran described the operation as an initial response to what it called US violations of the ceasefire and the memorandum of understanding between Tehran and Washington.
Iranian military officials also claimed that a drone strike targeted the Sheikh Isa Air Base in Bahrain and warned that all US military bases in the region would remain legitimate targets if further attacks continue.
Following the Iranian response, air raid sirens sounded twice across Bahrain, while Kuwait announced that its armed forces were responding to hostile missile and drone attacks. Kuwaiti authorities said explosions heard in the country were the result of successful interceptions and urged residents to follow official safety instructions.
Earlier, the United States said it had launched “powerful strikes” against more than 80 targets in southern Iran, including military infrastructure in Sirik, Qeshm Island and Bandar Abbas. Washington stated the strikes were carried out in response to attacks on three commercial vessels, including Qatari and Saudi oil tankers, in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian state media reported that several civilian sites, including fishing piers and telecommunications facilities, were hit in the US strikes, leaving a number of people injured. Tehran condemned the attacks as a violation of the June 17 agreement with the United States and vowed a “crushing response.”
Meanwhile, funeral processions for Iran’s slain Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, continued in the Iraqi holy city of Najaf, drawing large crowds of mourners.
The rapidly escalating confrontation has heightened concerns of a wider regional conflict, with global attention focused on developments in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for international oil shipments.
