Iran's IRGC says it struck US bases in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan in retaliation

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced Wednesday that it launched drone attacks on the U.S. Fifth Fleet in Bahrain and the Ali Al Salem airbase in Kuwait, and fired a long-range missile at an airbase in Azraq, Jordan. The IRGC said the operations targeted 21 U.S. sites and destroyed four, including a hangar used for F-35 fighter jets at the Jordanian base, and claimed to have shot down a U.S. MQ-9 drone over the Iranian city of Jam.

The Iranian attacks followed U.S. strikes on Qeshm Island and several ports along Iran's coast in the Strait of Hormuz, which the United States said were in response to the downing of an Apache helicopter earlier in the week. Tehran's statement warned that its forces remain ready to deliver a “crushing and decisive” response to any further U.S. action.

Jordan's military reported intercepting and destroying five missiles launched from Iran, saying the interception caused only shrapnel fallout with no injuries or material damage. Air-raid sirens were activated in Bahrain and Kuwait, and the Kuwaiti military confirmed it was engaging “hostile aerial targets” in its airspace.

Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, said the Iranian response indicated a new doctrine of rapid, proportionate retaliation to deter future U.S. strikes. He added that repeated incidents are eroding confidence on both sides about reaching a diplomatic settlement.

The latest escalation comes amid broader regional tensions, including recent exchanges of fire between Iran and Israel and ongoing conflict involving Hezbollah in Lebanon. No immediate comment was received from U.S. officials.