Iran has claimed responsibility for launching drone and missile strikes against US-linked military facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait in direct retaliation for American strikes on its southern provinces. 

According to the state-affiliated Fars News Agency, Iranian army drones targeted the Sheikh Isa Air Base in Bahrain early on Wednesday morning, describing the attack as a response to what it called a hostile invasion by US forces.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) separately announced that it had carried out a large-scale joint missile and drone operation against 85 US military facilities.

The IRGC stated that its Navy and Aerospace Forces struck key sites including Salman Port, the US Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain, and the Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait. This marks one of the most extensive retaliatory operations claimed by Iran in recent months.

In addition, an IRGC spokesperson asserted that Iranian air defences had successfully shot down an American MQ-9 drone over Bushehr Province. The spokesperson said the drone was destroyed by advanced air defence systems in the skies over Khormuj, following what Tehran described as aerial aggression by US forces.

These Iranian claims come in the immediate aftermath of US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirming that its forces executed a series of counter-offensives on 7 July. The American strikes reportedly hit more than 80 military positions inside Iran using precision-guided munitions.

US defence officials emphasised that the operation was aimed at dismantling Tehran’s maritime offensive capabilities, targeting command-and-control networks, air defence systems, coastal radar installations, anti-ship missile sites, and over 60 IRGC small boats.

CENTCOM explained that the strikes were triggered by Iranian attacks on three commercial tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz. The vessels identified were the Marshall Islands-flagged M/T Al Rekayyat, the Saudi Arabia-flagged M/T Wedyan, and the Liberian-flagged M/T Cyprus Prosperity. In a statement, CENTCOM described Iran’s actions as unwarranted, dangerous, and a clear violation of the ceasefire agreement.

Iranian state media reported multiple explosions in the port cities of Bandar Abbas and Sirik, as well as blasts on Qeshm Island. Fires were said to have broken out at the Sirik pier and the Shahid Haqqani Port in Bandar Abbas. However, Iran’s official news agency IRNA, citing the Governor of Hormozgan province, reported that no civilian casualties had been recorded from the American strikes.

The Iranian Parliament Speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, issued a strong warning on X, accusing Washington of committing major violations of the Memorandum of Understanding signed in June. He declared that Tehran would not fold under military or economic pressure, stating defiantly that “the era of bullying and extortion is over. It leads nowhere.”

This latest cycle of strikes and counter-strikes underscores the collapse of the fragile ceasefire established under the MoU. The US bombardments mark the first direct American kinetic action against Iran since late June, when a brief pause in hostilities had been achieved. The situation now points to a severe breakdown in diplomatic commitments and a dangerous escalation in the Gulf region.

ANI