Iran Strikes US Military Facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait in Retaliation

Iran has stated it targeted American military facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait in response to US strikes on dozens of Iranian targets. US Central Command (Centcom) announced on Tuesday evening that it had struck more than 80 targets, including over 60 fast-attack craft belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The strikes hit several areas, including Bandar Abbas and Sirik, causing several injuries from shrapnel, according to Iranian state media. The incident follows attacks on three oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important oil shipping lanes. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte previously said the US strikes were ‘absolutely necessary’, accusing Iran of ‘fundamentally violating the ceasefire’ after several vessels were targeted. Meanwhile, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf asserted that it was the US which violated the memorandum of understanding (MoU) by ‘disrupting the adjustments made by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz’. Last month, Tehran and Washington signed a 14-page MoU aimed at extending the ceasefire and ending the conflict ‘on all fronts’. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused the US of a ‘blatant violation’ of the MoU signed by both countries. In a statement, Araghchi said the US strikes, the reimposition of sanctions on Iranian oil sales, and the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon had rendered ‘important and fundamental parts of the understanding to end the war ineffective’. He stressed that Iran ‘will not hesitate’ to defend its ‘territorial integrity, national sovereignty, and national security’. Araghchi also issued a warning to Gulf states hosting US military bases, stating that Iran would ‘target the source and point of origin’ of any attack directed against it. Iranian media confirmed further strikes on Wednesday morning in the southwestern port city of Bushehr. The semi-official Mehr news agency reported hearing several explosions in Bushehr and surrounding areas. A senior security official in Bushehr told the Fars news agency that ‘enemy projectiles’ hit two military bases, one in Dashti County and another near the city of Choghadak, adding that no casualties were reported. Reports of a suspected attack on Kharg Island, Iran’s main offshore oil export terminal, were denied by Mehr news agency. Oil prices rose more than 3% following the exchange of attacks, with Brent crude reaching $76 per barrel. Market participants fear that escalation could disrupt energy shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for global oil trade. Gulf states responded to the Iranian strikes. Kuwait’s Foreign Ministry condemned what it called Iran’s ‘repeated and heinous aggression’, describing it as a blatant attack undermining de-escalation efforts. Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesman stated that Doha holds Iran ‘fully responsible’ for the alleged targeting of the vessel Al-Rekayyat as it transited near the strait. Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry separately reported that Iran also targeted the Saudi tanker Wadyan while it was passing through the strait. Warning sirens sounded in Bahrain after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced it had targeted key US military installations at Salman Port, where the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet is based. The IRGC said its naval and aerospace forces launched a combined missile and drone operation targeting 85 major US military installations.