Iran claims retaliatory strikes on 85 US facilities in Bahrain, Kuwait following US attacks

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Wednesday that it had targeted 85 US military facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait with missiles and drones, in response to US attacks on the south of Iran overnight.

Iran’s Fars News Agency quoted an IRGC statement as saying that the United States had violated a ceasefire by carrying out airstrikes on sites in the coastal cities of Hormozgan and Mahshahr.

The statement said the IRGC, in cooperation between its naval and aerospace forces, carried out a joint operation using missiles and drones as its initial response to the US attacks.

It said the operation targeted Salman Port and the headquarters of the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, as well as Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait, among the 85 US military facilities.

On Tuesday evening, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced a series of strikes on Iran, saying they were carried out “as an immediate response to its attacks targeting three commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz”.

Over the past 24 hours, the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported that three oil tankers had come under attack while passing through the Strait of Hormuz, causing minor damage, without disclosing their nationalities.

The Strait of Hormuz has witnessed intermittent security tensions linked to the war launched by the United States and Israel against Iran on 28 February.

On 18 June, Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding and have continued difficult negotiations aimed at reaching a final agreement, mediated by Pakistan and Qatar.