Iran Claims Retaliatory Drone and Missile Strikes on US-Linked Bases
Iran has claimed that it launched drone and missile strikes against US-linked military facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait in retaliation for US strikes on the country's southern provinces, according to Iran's state-affiliated Fars News Agency. Citing the Iranian Army Public Relations, Fars reported that Iranian army drones targeted the Sheikh Isa Air Base in Bahrain early Wednesday morning.
"Following the hostile invasion by the American enemy into areas in the south of the country, army drones targeted the gathering centres of the hostile American forces at the 'Sheikh Isa Air Base' located in Bahrain in an attack early this morning," the statement said, according to Fars News Agency.
IRGC Claims Large-Scale Joint Operation Against 85 US Facilities
Earlier, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed that it had carried out a large-scale joint missile and drone operation targeting 85 key US military facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait. According to Fars News Agency, the IRGC said, "IRGC Navy and Aerospace Forces, during a joint missile and drone operation, pounded 85 key US military facilities in Salman Port, the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, and the Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait."
In a separate statement carried by Fars News Agency, an IRGC spokesperson claimed that Iranian air defences had shot down an American MQ-9 drone over Bushehr Province. "Following the aerial aggression by the terrorist US Army in the early hours of this morning, an MQ9 drone was struck and downed by the fire of the IRGC's advanced air defence system in the skies over Khormuj in Bushehr Province," the spokesperson said, according to Fars News Agency.
US Central Command Confirms Strikes on Iranian Military Positions
The retaliation from Iran comes as US Central Command (CENTCOM) on Tuesday (local time) confirmed it executed a series of counter-offensives on July 7, striking more than 80 military positions inside Iran with precision-guided munitions. According to US defence officials, these targeted operations focused heavily on dismantling Tehran's maritime offensive capabilities. The targets neutralised during the multi-hour operation encompassed command-and-control networks, air defence mechanisms, coastal radar installations, anti-ship missile sites, and more than 60 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) small boats.
The defence establishment asserted that the primary objective of the massive operation was to systematically degrade Tehran's capacity to launch further disruptions against merchant shipping in the economic corridor. Elaborating on the specific catalysts for the kinetic action, CENTCOM detailed that the American military response was triggered by targeted acts of aggression against three commercial tankers transiting the waterway. The ships caught in the hostilities were identified as the Marshall Islands-flagged M/T Al Rekayyat, the Saudi Arabia-flagged M/T Wedyan, and the Liberian-flagged M/T Cyprus Prosperity.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Issues Defiant Warning
In a post on X, Iranian Parliament Speaker Ghalibaf enumerated several "major violations" of the MoU committed by the US administration, indicating a severe breakdown in diplomatic commitments between the two countries. Issuing a firm warning against Washington's hardline approach and asserting Tehran's refusal to back down under intense military and economic pressure, Ghalibaf concluded his statement on a defiant note. "The era of bullying and extortion is over. It leads nowhere," he said on X. "We don't fold."
Following the bombardments, Iranian state media reported multiple explosions, specifically in the port cities of Bandar Abbas and Sirik, as well as blasts on Qeshm Island. The state media also reported fires breaking out at the Sirik pier and the Shahid Haqqani Port in Bandar Abbas. Iran's official news agency IRNA, citing the office of the Governor of Hormozgan province, reported that "to date, there have been no civilian casualty reports resulting from Tuesday evening's attacks by the American adversary."
Escalation Follows Brief Lull Under Memorandum of Understanding
Crucially, the latest deployment marks the first direct American kinetic action targeting Iran since late June, when a brief cycle of intense strikes and counter-strikes culminated in a temporary cessation of hostilities under a bilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
