On Thursday, 9th June, Iran carried out drone attacks on key US military infrastructure in Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain in response to the latest American strikes on its territory, marking another sharp rise in tensions in the Gulf region.
According to a statement broadcast by Iran’s state-run IRIB, the Iranian army targeted a Patriot air defence system in Kuwait, a satellite antenna used as an early-warning site in Qatar, and fuel storage facilities used by the US military in Bahrain. The army said the operation involved a large number of destructive drones.
“The armed forces of Iran will under no circumstances allow the realisation of the goals and ambitions of the insane president of the United States, and will continue to defend the ideals of the Islamic revolution until the final victory,” the Iranian military said in a statement carried by Iranian state media.
The latest exchange marked the second consecutive day of military action between the two sides, after Iran targeted three ships on the Strait of Hormuz. The Strait has almost shut down again, with reports of several ships returning.
Earlier in the day, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) also announced attacks on US military facilities in Kuwait and Bahrain. The force said the strikes were carried out after the United States launched attacks on Iran’s southern coastal provinces, adding that it would not leave the US military action unanswered.
The IRGC said the United States had broken its commitments by carrying out fresh strikes inside Iran. It warned that if Washington launches more attacks, Iran would expand its response to other US military bases across the region. The Guard said its naval and aerospace units jointly carried out missile and drone strikes on key infrastructure at the Arifjan and Ali Al Salem bases in Kuwait, along with the Jafair and Sheikh Isa bases in Bahrain. It described the operation as the first stage of its retaliation.
The Iranian announcement came after local media reported a new wave of US airstrikes late Wednesday on several locations in southern and southeastern Iran.
Meanwhile, the US Central Command confirmed that American forces had launched additional strikes against Iran. It said the operation was aimed at further weakening Iran’s ability to threaten freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important shipping routes.
