Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) says it launched missile and drone attacks targeting United States military installations in Bahrain and Kuwait in retaliation for fresh American strikes on Iran.
According to Reuters, the IRGC said the operation was carried out after the United States launched new military attacks on Iran following assaults on commercial tankers in the Strait of Hormuz.
The Guards said the operation targeted US military facilities, including Bahrain’s Fifth Naval District at Bandar Salman and Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait.
The IRGC also claimed it shot down a US MQ-9 drone during the operation, although the claim has not been independently verified.
Air defence activated
Air raid sirens sounded in Bahrain and Kuwait as the attacks unfolded.
The Kuwaiti military said its air defence systems were responding to what it described as hostile missile and drone attacks.
Authorities in Bahrain also confirmed that air defence measures had been activated.
US strikes
The attacks came hours after the United States launched another wave of military strikes on Iran and revoked a licence that had allowed Tehran to sell oil.
Washington said the action followed attacks on three commercial tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most strategically important oil shipping routes.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said more than 60 boats belonging to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards were among the targets hit during the American operation.
In a statement, CENTCOM said, “The unwarranted aggression by Iranian forces is a clear and dangerous violation of the ceasefire and undermines freedom of navigation.”
Oil prices rise
The renewed hostilities triggered fresh concerns in the global energy market.
According to Oilprice.com, Brent crude futures rose by $1.73, or 2.52 per cent, to $70.28 per barrel as traders reacted to increasing geopolitical tensions.
The Strait of Hormuz remains one of the world’s most critical oil shipping lanes, with roughly one-fifth of global oil supplies passing through the waterway.
Ceasefire under strain
The latest exchange marks a further deterioration of the fragile ceasefire reached after weeks of hostilities between Washington and Tehran.
The truce was intended to create a 60-day window for indirect negotiations on a broader agreement, but talks held in Qatar last week ended without a breakthrough.
Iran has maintained that it has the right to regulate activities in the Strait of Hormuz, while the United States says freedom of navigation must be protected.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said negotiations on a permanent agreement would not begin while threats continued, highlighting the uncertain future of diplomatic efforts as military exchanges escalate.
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