Iran has launched immediate retaliatory strikes against U.S. military bases in Bahrain and Kuwait following large-scale airstrikes by the United States.
According to reports from AFP and other news agencies, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of Iran announced in a statement broadcast on state television on July 8 (local time) that it had targeted U.S. military facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait.
The Revolutionary Guard stated, "As an initial response to this aggression, our naval and aerospace forces conducted joint missile and drone operations, striking 85 major U.S. military facilities within the two countries."
In addition, they claimed to have shot down one U.S. MQ-9 drone.
Bahrain and Kuwait were subjected to missile and drone attacks early this morning and mobilized their air defense systems in response.
The Kuwaiti military stated on social media that "air defense systems are responding to hostile missile and drone attacks," adding that "the sounds of explosions heard are the result of air defense systems intercepting enemy attacks."
The Bahraini Ministry of Interior also issued an air raid alert at a similar time, urging citizens and residents via X to "remain calm and evacuate to the nearest safe location."
These attacks occurred just hours after the U.S. military struck more than 80 military targets, including Iranian air defense systems, command and control facilities, and coastal radar stations, in retaliation for Iran's attacks on merchant vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
The Iranian military had previously warned that it would carry out a "lethal response" to the U.S. airstrikes.
Regarding navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, the Iranian military also asserted that it "will not tolerate U.S. interference," claiming that the only routes available for merchant and oil tankers are those "designated by Iran."
The U.S. stated that Iran's attacks on merchant vessels violated the existing memorandum of understanding between the two countries, leading to the airstrikes on Iran and the revocation of exemptions for crude oil sanctions.
Conversely, Iran claims that the U.S. broke the agreement first and has vowed retaliation, raising concerns that the armed conflict between the two sides could escalate to an extreme level once again.
Reported by Lee Hyeon-yeong | Video by Lee Ui-seon | Design by Lee Jeong-ju | Produced by SBS Digital News
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