Iran says targeted US bases in Kuwait, Bahrain

Tehran: Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Saturday that it attacked US military bases in Kuwait and Bahrain earlier in the day in retaliation for US attacks on Qeshm Island and Sirik County in southern Iran.

In a statement on its official news outlet Sepah News, the IRGC identified the targeted US bases as the Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait and the US Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain.

At 1:30 a.m. local time on Saturday (2200 GMT Friday), four oil tankers, guided by the US army, sought to “illegally exit the Strait of Hormuz without coordination and paying attention to the IRGC Navy’s frequent warnings,” it said.

After the warnings, one of the oil tankers was targeted, and the rest of the “violating” vessels turned back, it said, adding that following the confrontation, US drones attacked communications towers on Qeshm Island and in Sirik County at 2:30 a.m. local time (2300 GMT Friday).

In response, IRGC’s aerospace division immediately fired ballistic missiles at the Ali Al Salem Air Base and the remaining important facilities in the US Fifth Fleet headquarters, it said.

The US Central Command said in a post on the social platform X that US forces struck some of Iran’s radar sites on Friday, reports Xinhua news agency.

The General Staff of the Kuwaiti Armed Forces said that Kuwaiti air defence systems on Saturday intercepted missile and drone attacks.

Any explosions heard in different areas were the result of air defence systems intercepting “hostile targets,” the General Staff said in a statement on X.

It urged the public to follow safety and security instructions issued by the relevant authorities.

The latest escalation came days after Kuwait accused Iran of launching 13 ballistic missiles and 17 drones toward the Gulf state.

On Wednesday, Kuwaiti authorities said one person was killed and 63 others injured in the attacks, which damaged facilities at Kuwait International Airport and temporarily disrupted air traffic.

Iran tightened its grip on the strait since February 28, when it barred safe passage of vessels belonging to or affiliated with Israel and the United States following joint strikes on Iranian territory.

The United States has also imposed a naval blockade on the strait, preventing ships travelling to and from Iranian ports from transiting the waterway.

IANS