Iran has launched retaliatory strikes on US military installations following the US attacks on its Hormozgan province and the port city of Mahshahr. According to Iranian media, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy and Aerospace Forces carried out a joint missile and drone operation targeting 85 US military facilities.
The reported targets included Salman Port, the US Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain, and the Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait. Iranian media also quoted an IRGC spokesperson as saying that the country’s air defence systems had shot down a US MQ-9 drone over Bushehr Province.
Meanwhile, Bahrain’s Ministry of Interior has urged residents to take shelter after warning sirens sounded across the country. The alert came shortly before Iran’s state broadcaster announced a fresh wave of strikes.
Earlier, The US has carried out a fresh round of airstrikes on Iran, targeting more than 80 locations in response to Iran’s latest attacks on commercial ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz. According to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), the strikes targeted Iranian air defence systems, command and control centres, coastal radar sites, anti-ship missile systems, and more than 60 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps fast boats in and around the Strait of Hormuz. The US said the operation was aimed at weakening Iran’s ability to attack international shipping. It also accused Tehran of targeting commercial vessels carrying civilian crews.
The United States has also revoked a licence that had allowed Iran to sell oil under the interim agreement. The licence had enabled Iran to openly export oil on the international market and receive payments in US dollars for the first time in years. Iran has long been suspected of selling sanctioned crude oil to China at below-market prices.
Iran strongly condemned the latest US military action and the decision to cancel sanctions waivers on its oil exports. In a social media post, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said the US actions, including the latest strikes, were a serious violation of bilateral understandings. He described them as violations of Memorandum of Understanding.
