U.S. Strikes Iran for Fourth Time in a Week; Iran Launches Retaliatory Attacks

Following additional U.S. airstrikes on Iran, Iran has launched large-scale retaliatory strikes targeting Gulf nations that host U.S. military bases.

According to reports from the Associated Press and other outlets on July 13 (local time), missile warning sirens blared across Bahrain, an island nation home to the U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and the U.S. Fifth Fleet, as Iranian forces carried out retaliatory attacks that morning.

Bahraini authorities urged residents to evacuate to shelters immediately.

The exact scale of damage from the additional airstrikes that morning has not yet been confirmed.

Earlier, the U.S. military also struck Iran at approximately 12:00 a.m. on July 13 (Iran local time).

According to Iranian state television, a series of explosions were heard in coastal cities in southern Iran and key island regions.

Reports indicate that several powerful explosions were heard in succession in areas including the western outskirts of Bandar Abbas, the largest port city in southern Iran and a gateway to the Strait of Hormuz, as well as on Qeshm Island and in Jask.

Explosions were also reported in various parts of Bushehr Province in southern Iran and Khuzestan Province in the southwest.

The U.S. Central Command stated on the social media platform X, "At 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time (6:00 a.m. KST on July 13), we initiated additional airstrikes to continue degrading Iran's ability to attack civilian mariners and merchant vessels freely navigating the Strait of Hormuz."

Russia's state-run RIA Novosti news agency, citing Iran's Mehr News Agency, reported that two explosions occurred on the outskirts of Khondab in western Iran.

This U.S. attack on Iran marks the fourth in the past week and the second consecutive day of strikes.

Despite a previous memorandum of understanding (MOU), the United States and Iran have been engaged in ongoing armed conflict over control of the Strait of Hormuz.

The U.S. conducted airstrikes on southern Iran for two days starting on July 8, and Iran responded by targeting major U.S. military facilities in Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, and Bahrain.

The U.S. Central Command stated that it had struck approximately 140 military targets within Iran using fighter jets, drones, and precision-guided munitions.

Iran condemned the recent U.S. airstrikes on its territory, criticizing that "all diplomatic efforts over the past several months to de-escalate tensions and build peace in the West Asian region have come to nothing."

In a statement released immediately after the U.S. Central Command's announcement, the Iranian Foreign Ministry stated, "The (U.S.) barbaric attack is not only a serious violation of the fundamental principles of the UN Charter but also a grave threat to international peace and security."

Over the weekend, Iran boasted of its retaliatory results and signaled further military operations.

According to Iran's Tasnim News Agency, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) stated, "There was an operation to intercept two illegal vessels that were threatening maritime safety in the Strait of Hormuz by turning off their ship tracking systems and sailing through illegal routes," adding, "The 'child-killing U.S. military' then blatantly revealed its barbaric nature by once again invading Iranian coastal bases."

The term "child-killing" refers to an incident on February 28, the first day of the war, when a girls' elementary school in the Minab region of Iran was hit by a U.S. airstrike, resulting in the deaths of at least 175 people, including children and teachers attending the school.

The Revolutionary Guard added, "As the first stage of our response, Islamic warriors launched missile and drone strikes on several large U.S. missile storage facilities and fuel tanks at the Prince Hassan Air Base in Jordan, burning them down."

They further emphasized, "As the second stage of the retaliatory operation, we completely destroyed key helicopter maintenance centers, reconnaissance aircraft hangars, and drone command and control centers at the U.S. military base in Bahrain," adding that "the warriors' retaliatory operations are continuing."
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.