Tehran: Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Wednesday it launched a sweeping strike across the Middle East, hitting 21 US air and naval sites, destroying F-35 hangars and striking the US Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain — a dramatic escalation in tensions with Washington, agencies reported.
The IRGC termed the strikes as retaliation for recent US attacks inside Iran, and its claims came as the security situation across the Gulf deteriorated rapidly, raising fears the confrontation could spread throughout a region dotted with American military installations.
Targets Named
According to Iran’s ISNA news agency, the IRGC identified four principal military targets. Among them, the Guards said, was the US Army’s command-and-control centre at Al-Azraq base in Jordan, which the statement claimed had been destroyed. The force also said it had struck Jordan’s Muwaffaq Salti Air Base as part of a coordinated campaign against 21 American facilities in the wider region.
Explosions Reported In Gulf States
Following Iran’s announcement, state broadcaster Press TV cited local sources reporting fresh explosions in Kuwait and Bahrain, and claiming further strikes on American bases there. The IRGC separately took credit for a drone attack on the US Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain at about 2:30 a.m. local time.
The Guards described the operation as a response to what they said were American attacks on southern Iranian sites. “The warmongering US regime attacked several points in Jask, Sirik, and Qeshm early this morning under false pretexts, damaging a telecommunications mast in Sirik and destroying two water tanks in the city,” the IRGC said.
Naval Action & Domestic Alerts
Iran said its naval elements had launched the drone strike against the fleet headquarters in Bahrain. Bahrain’s Interior Ministry shortly afterward confirmed that air-raid sirens were sounded nationwide, and urged residents to remain calm and move to the nearest safe location in a post on X.
What Sparked Latest Exchange?
The current spiral of violence followed the downing of a US Army Apache helicopter over the Strait of Hormuz — an event that sharply ramped up hostilities. On Tuesday, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said American forces had begun “self-defence strikes” against Iran.
“US Central Command forces began launching self-defence strikes against Iran at 5 p.m. ET today at the Commander in Chief’s direction, in response to yesterday’s downing of a US Army Apache helicopter,” CENTCOM said in a statement posted on X, calling the action a proportional response to Iranian aggression.
US President Donald Trump confirmed that Iranian forces had shot down the helicopter while it patrolled the Strait of Hormuz, and said both pilots survived without injury. “I have just been informed by our Great Military that last night the Iranians shot down one of our highly sophisticated Apache helicopters while patrolling over the Strait of Hormuz,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. The US President added that Washington would respond to the attack.
Iran Warns Against US Presence
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned the United States not to test Tehran’s resolve and said his country would answer any threat. “Despite its defeats on the battlefield, the US opted to test our determination,” Araghchi said in a post on X. He added that Iran’s armed forces would not leave any attack unanswered and urged the United States to withdraw its military presence from the Gulf.
