Iran's Revolutionary Guard Names US Bases as Targets for Retaliatory Strikes
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has declared US air bases as primary targets for retaliatory strikes following American military action against Iranian territory on Thursday (28 May). The statement was issued via Iran’s state television network, IRIB, with the IRGC stating the attack came after US forces struck locations near Bandar Abbas airport using aerial projectiles. “Following this morning’s aggression by the US military targeting areas on the outskirts of Bandar Abbas airport with aerial projectiles, US air bases serving as the source of the attack were targeted at 4:50 am local time,” according to the IRGC statement reported by IRIB on Thursday. Iran has not specified which US air bases are targeted. Meanwhile, Kuwait, a US ally, stated it is responding to missile and drone attacks that occurred early Thursday. Tensions escalated after US forces launched another attack on Iran, targeting Tehran’s drone operations. Washington claims these drone activities threaten US troops and commercial shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz. An unnamed US official said American forces shot down four Iranian attack drones and bombed a ground control station in Bandar Abbas port, suspected of being used to launch a fifth drone. The latest attacks occurred hours after President Donald Trump denied reports of an agreement to restore shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz. The US-Iran conflict has impacted global energy markets, with world oil prices surging after a previous decline. (AFP/Fer/E-4)
Former CIA Director David Petraeus has suggested Mojtaba Khamenei will continue his father’s hardline policies. The IRGC has officially pledged full allegiance to Mojtaba Khamenei as Iran’s new Supreme Leader. Iran’s Assembly of Experts has formally appointed Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei as the new Supreme Leader, a move that defies strong warnings from Donald Trump. In addition to designating the IRGC as a terrorist organisation, the European Union has expanded its individual sanctions list, with 15 officials from Iran’s security and judiciary sectors officially blacklisted. The first members of what would become the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) were trained in a remote village outside Paris, France. The US and Denmark are discussing adding three military bases in Greenland to monitor maritime activity in the GIUK Gap to counter Russian and Chinese influence in the Arctic. Satellite imagery analysis indicates 228 US military structures and equipment in the Middle East were destroyed by Iranian attacks, significantly more than official reports. The US and Israel launched a joint attack on Iran, including Tehran, causing infrastructure damage and casualties. RIA Novosti reported from Moscow on Wednesday that the strikes were also directed at “gathering points and combat support centres of Zionist forces.” Iran has stated it attacked the US Victoria base in Iraq, Ali al-Salem air base in Kuwait, and Prince Sultan air base in Saudi Arabia.