Iran’s terrorist Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) claimed on Wednesday that they had targeted 85 allegedly “American military facilities,” in reality launching sweeping bombing campaigns against neighbors Kuwait and Bahrain.
The IRGC’s aggression follows Iran bombing various vessels attempting to navigate the Strait of Hormuz, reportedly ships linked to Qatar and Saudi Arabia. The Iranian regime’s attacks prompted U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) to resume targeted strikes on Iran’s terrorist infrastructure to protect free navigation in the strait, which the IRGC used as its reasoning for bombing Kuwait and Bahrain.
The IRGC’s statement, as shared by the Iranian government’s Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), claimed that its forces had launched a “joint missile-and-drone operation, striking 85 locations linked to important U.S. military installations in Bahrain’s Salman Port and Fifth Naval District, as well as Ali Al-Salem Air Base in Kuwait.” IRNA celebrated the bombings as a successful effort, claiming to have shot down an American MQ-9 drone in a proportional response to CENTCOM’s strikes hours before. The U.S. government has not at press time confirmed any major damage as a result, though the targeted countries have condemned the strikes as needlessly endangering their populations.
The Iranian military’s Khatam al-Anbiya operational headquarters issued a statement following the attacks appearing to promise more strikes on its neighbors, insisting that any country aiding the “aggressor U.S. military” would face Iranian bombing.
“The origin of any support for the aggressor U.S. military in its aggression against the sovereignty and territory of the Islamic Republic of Iran will be a legitimate target of the armed forces,” the statement read.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kuwait described the strikes as “heinous Iranian aggressions” directed at Kuwait, not at the United States, given where the strikes occurred. The attacks, it asserted, were “a flagrant violation of its [Kuwait’s] sovereignty, a direct threat to its security and stability, and to the safety of its citizens and residents on its territory, and a grave breach of the rules of international law.”
“The Ministry renews its affirmation that the continuation of these brazen aggressions, at a time when regional and international efforts aimed at de-escalation are underway,” the Foreign Minister stated, “constitutes a systematic undermining of efforts to reduce tensions and strikes at the supporting international will for this path.”
The Kuwait Foreign Ministry also condemned the strikes on Bahrain in a separate statement, using similar language to describe the “aggression” by Iran and adding that Kuwait offers its “steadfast and supportive stance toward the security and stability of the sisterly Kingdom of Bahrain.”
Hostilities erupted between Iran and America in February, when President Donald Trump launched Operation Epic Fury and eliminated the longtime dictator of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Those hostilities were paused by a temporary ceasefire in April that evolved into an agreement in June contained in a memorandum of understanding signed by both parties. The memorandum required both sides to engage in discussions for 60 days towards cementing a new agreement preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. It also required Iran to allow the free flow of commercial transit in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran violated the agreement on Tuesday, reportedly bombing three tankers attempting to navigate the Strait of Hormuz. Two of the ships were identified as Qatari and Saudi vessels. The U.S. government retaliated against Iran for these strikes, blaming the regime directly.
“U.S. Central Command forces have begun launching a series of powerful strikes against Iran to impose heavy costs for targeting and attacking commercial shipping crewed by innocent civilians in an international waterway,” CENTCOM revealed on Tuesday. “The U.S. strikes are in response to Iranian attacks on three commercial vessels that were transiting the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s demonstrated aggression was unwarranted, dangerous, and a clear violation of the ceasefire.”
Bahrain, like the United States, condemned Iran for the strikes on the ships prior to the IRGC targeting the country. In a statement, the Bahraini Foreign Ministry issued “strong condemnation and denunciation of the Iranian terrorist attack” on the Saudi and Qatari tankers, deeming it “an unacceptable attack on the security and safety of international navigation and global energy supplies.” Bahrain demanded that the U.N. Security Council “take a firm stance” to punish Iran for its terrorist activities and insisted the international community has a role to play in ensuring safe transit in the Strait of Hormuz “without restrictions or the imposition of illegal fees.”
On Wednesday, President Trump declared during the ongoing NATO summit in Turkey that the memorandum of understanding with Iran was no longer valid as the Iranian government had violated it. He punctuated his comments by referring to Iranian regime officials as “scum” who could not be trusted with negotiations.
“They’re a bunch of scum, if you want to know the truth,” Trump told reporters, referring to Iranian government officials. “We don’t like them, they’re evil people. They’re crazy and they’re not going to have a nuclear weapon.”
“Everyone’s agreed, no nuclear weapon. We make a deal. They go outside, joke to the press, they say we never even talked about it. There’s something wrong with them, they’re cuckoo,” Trump added.
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