A sharp military escalation has broken out between the United States and Iran in the Middle East, with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and army launching retaliatory attacks on US-linked targets in Jordan, Bahrain and Kuwait after US strikes on Iranian coastal military bases. The confrontation, which Iran said began over ship seizures in the Strait of Hormuz, also coincided with reports of powerful explosions in Bandar Abbas.
According to Qatar-based broadcaster Al Jazeera, the latest escalation unfolded as Washington claimed to have completed a new round of attacks on Iran. At the same time, powerful explosions were reported in Bandar Abbas, in southern Iran. Iran said its “destructive” retaliatory operation would continue in defence of its sovereignty.
The IRGC said the confrontation began in the Strait of Hormuz, where its navy tried to detain two ships that were moving illegally with their tracking systems switched off and were endangering maritime security. Soon afterwards, the US Central Command, or CENTCOM, launched what Iran described as large-scale air strikes on Iranian coastal military bases.
In a statement, CENTCOM said it had carried out precise strikes on “dozens of targets” at multiple locations in Iran to destroy Tehran’s capability to attack international shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. CENTCOM said the operation involved US warplanes, naval warships, and, for the first time, one-way attack aerial drones and one-way attack sea drones.
CENTCOM said the offensive phase had been completed after destroying Iran’s military air defence systems, coastal radar stations, missiles, drones and small speedboats.
In response, the IRGC said it launched a two-stage retaliatory operation. In the first phase, it said it successfully struck Prince Hassan Air Base in Jordan with missiles and drones, setting fire to several fuel depots and ammunition warehouses.
In the second phase, the IRGC Aerospace Force said it targeted US installations at Sheikh Isa Air Base in Bahrain. The force claimed direct hits on a helicopter maintenance centre, a hangar housing a P-8 military aircraft, and a command-and-control centre for US military drones.
After the IRGC claimed attacks on Ali Al Salem and Ahmad Al-Jaber bases in Kuwait, Iran’s regular army joined the operation. According to Iran’s state news agency IRNA, the Iranian army launched “destructive drone” attacks on US forces stationed in Kuwait.
IRNA said the attacks were targeting US defence systems, missile systems, bunkers and supporting shelters in Kuwait.
In a statement, the Iranian army condemned the US action as an “extreme violation” of the fundamental principles of the United Nations Charter. The army said the armed forces would use their full military capability to defend the country’s sovereignty and people.
Kuwait’s General Staff said the country’s air defence systems were operating continuously to counter “hostile aerial vehicles and targets” that had entered Kuwaiti airspace. The military also sought to reassure the public that explosion sounds heard in Kuwait were mainly the result of missile and drone interceptions.
Just before CENTCOM announced the completion of its latest strikes, at least two powerful explosions were heard in Bandar Abbas, in Iran’s southern Hormozgan province. The IRGC said its operation was still under way and that the outcome would be announced in a later statement.