Iran Strikes US Bases in Gulf, Air Raid Sirens Wail in Kuwait and Bahrain

Air raid sirens wailed across Kuwait and Bahrain on Thursday after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched retaliatory strikes against American military bases in the two Gulf states. Tehran warned it would expand its attacks to other bases in the region if the United States continues its strikes.

The IRGC announced that its forces had targeted ‘key infrastructure and facilities’ at US bases in Arifjan and Ali Al Salem in Kuwait, as well as Juffair and Sheikh Isa in Bahrain, using missiles and drones. The announcement was broadcast on Iranian state television.

Kuwait’s state news agency KUNA reported that air raid warning sirens were activated across the country. In a separate statement, the Kuwaiti military said its air defence systems intercepted ‘hostile missile and drone attacks’, resulting in a series of explosions heard in various areas. The military’s general staff stated that any explosions heard were the result of air defence systems intercepting hostile attacks, without specifying the source.

Bahrain’s Interior Ministry also reported that sirens sounded across the country, urging residents to remain calm and proceed to the nearest safe location.

The Iranian strikes came after the US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced it had struck at least 90 military targets in Iran the previous night. CENTCOM stated the strikes were aimed at further degrading Iran’s ability to attack commercial shipping and innocent civilian mariners in the Strait of Hormuz, targeting air defence systems, coastal reconnaissance assets, missile and drone storage sites, naval capabilities, and military logistics infrastructure along the Iranian coastline.