US says Iran strikes completed as Tehran targets regional bases
Washington says it struck dozens of Iranian military targets, while Tehran claims retaliation across the region.
The United States said Wednesday that it had completed a new wave of strikes against Iranian military targets, while Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed it had launched missile and drone attacks against US bases in Kuwait and Iraq.
The US military's Central Command said American forces struck Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targets, including air defense sites, radar systems, maritime assets and facilities, mine-laying capabilities and communications installations.
US officials cited by Axios said the broader operation involved about 100 targets, including anti-ship cruise missile launchers and attack drone facilities. The officials said two Iranian government tankers were also struck, describing the action as part of a new policy intended to deter Iranian attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
US officials said the tanker strikes targeted engine rooms while the vessels were anchored off Iran's coast north of the US naval blockade line.
Iran responded with ballistic missiles and drones against US military positions across the region, according to US officials. About 25 ballistic missiles were launched, with 10 intercepted, while several others landed without causing casualties, the officials said. Iran also launched drones toward US bases in Bahrain and missile and drone attacks against positions in Kuwait and Iraq.
Iran claims attacks on US base in Kuwait
The IRGC said its Ground Force carried out a combined missile and drone attack against Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait.
The Iranian force claimed that US personnel were killed and that several drones were destroyed after a drone hangar and deployment ramp caught fire. It said the attack targeted the headquarters and accommodation of the US commander at the base.
The IRGC said the operation was carried out simultaneously with attacks on US bases in Jordan, Bahrain and Erbil.
Iran described the strikes as retaliation for US attacks on Iranian territory and said its operation was directed at the US military presence in Kuwait rather than the Kuwaiti population.
IRGC reports strikes on US positions in Iraq
The IRGC also said it carried out missile and drone attacks against US bases in Iraq's Erbil.
It claimed that a maintenance center and technical equipment storage facilities were destroyed, while a guidance system associated with a US surveillance balloon was hit.
The Iranian force also claimed that fuel storage facilities caught fire and that some US soldiers were killed. The claims have not been independently verified.
Iran reports deaths and injuries
Iranian authorities reported casualties from the latest US strikes across the country's south.
Khuzestan Deputy Gov. Valiollah Hayati told Iran's official IRNA news agency that seven people were killed and eight injured after missile strikes hit three locations around Ahvaz and Aghajari.
Iran's Health Ministry separately reported that several people were killed and more than 50 wounded in the southern province of Hormozgan. Hossein Kermanpour, head of the ministry's Public Relations and Information Center, said a child was among those killed in the village of Kouhestak.
Iranian media also reported casualties from a strike on a wedding ceremony in Sirik. Fars news agency said at least two people were killed and 20 wounded, while other Iranian reports gave different casualty figures.
Iranian authorities said several other areas, including Jask, Bandar Lengeh, Konarak county and Jiroft, were targeted. Explosions were also reported on Qeshm Island and near Bandar Abbas.
The US military has denied intentionally targeting civilians.
CENTCOM spokesman Capt. Tim Hawkins said the US military was aware of reports originating from Iranian state media about civilian casualties and said American forces do not target civilians.
Strikes raise pressure around Strait of Hormuz
The latest exchanges mark another major escalation in the confrontation between Washington and Tehran, with the Strait of Hormuz remaining a central flashpoint.
US officials said the strikes were conducted in response to attempted IRGC attacks on commercial vessels and attacks against US military positions in the region. They said the operation had degraded Iran's military capabilities and reduced the threat to commercial shipping.
Despite the attacks, US forces continued guiding vessels through the Strait of Hormuz. A US official said about 40 ships carrying millions of barrels of oil transited the waterway on Tuesday.
Iranian and US forces have exchanged attacks across the region as tensions have intensified since the conflict began with strikes on Iran in late February.
A framework agreement was signed in June through mediation by Pakistan and Qatar, but subsequent disagreements over navigation in the strait and other issues led to renewed military action.
The latest strikes and counterattacks have further widened the confrontation, with both sides claiming military gains while reports of civilian casualties in Iran continue to emerge.
Source:AA
