Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has announced missile and drone attacks on US military facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait. It said the strike was the third wave of its ‘Operation Nasr 2’ launched in response to American attacks on Iranian positions.
According to a statement issued through Iran’s state broadcaster Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), the IRGC Navy and Aerospace Forces carried out simultaneous attacks targeting US military assets at two Gulf bases.
The IRGC said its forces hit weapons and equipment storage areas, along with parts of US aircraft and naval assets, at Sheikh Isa Air Base in Bahrain. It also claimed that the Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait was targeted, with strikes hitting the area used for deploying MQ-9 drones.
“The brave warriors of the IRGC Navy and Aerospace Forces in the third wave of Operation Nasr 2…destroyed several weapons and parts storage sheds for enemy ships and aircraft at the Sheikh Isa base in Bahrain during a simultaneous missile and drone operation a few hours ago,” the statement said.
“They also attacked the ramp for the deployment of enemy MQ9 drones at the Ali Salem base in Kuwait, destroying or damaging a number of drones,” it added.
Iran fires back after US strikes coastal military positions
The IRGC said the strikes were carried out after US forces attacked several Iranian coastal military locations earlier in the day. Tehran described the operation as a response to American action against its military infrastructure.
“The retaliation and punishment of the aggressor will continue as long as America’s crimes continue, and if these attacks are repeated, they will face surprising responses,” the IRGC statement said.
The Iranian military also issued a warning over energy shipments from the region, saying continued US operations could affect oil and gas exports.
“As long as America’s evils exist in the region, not a single drop of oil or gas will be exported from the region,” the statement said, while adding that such actions would delay the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
US strikes targeted Iranian coastal facilities
The latest Iranian strikes followed a US military operation announced by the US Central Command (CENTCOM), which said American forces had completed another round of coordinated attacks against Iranian military sites.
The CENTCOM said the operation ended at 10:15 pm Eastern Time on July 13 after five hours of strikes on locations including Bushehr, Chah Bahar, Jask, Konarak, Abu Musa and Bandar Abbas along Iran’s southern coast.
The US military said precision-guided weapons were used against Iranian coastal defence systems, missile facilities, drone positions and naval capabilities. Washington said the aim of the operation was to reduce Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping routes passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
The CENTCOM also said more than 50,000 US military personnel are presently deployed across the Middle East and that American forces continue to operate at a high level of readiness.
