The conflict between the United States and Iran escalated sharply early on Sunday after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it had launched a joint missile and drone attack on US military sites in Kuwait and Bahrain in retaliation for fresh American strikes on Iranian territory. In a statement, the IRGC said its navy and aerospace forces carried out the operation after the United States targeted Iranian missile and drone storage facilities and coastal radar sites
Iranian state-linked media also accused Washington of attacking five Iranian coastal positions near Sirik, claiming the strikes were carried out under the pretext of responding to an incident involving a vessel in the Strait of Hormuz.
Kuwait’s army said its air defence systems were intercepting what it described as “hostile” missiles and drones. There was no immediate confirmation from US officials on whether the attacks caused any damage or casualties at the targeted military installations.
The IRGC Navy said the US strikes on Sirik would not weaken Iran’s control over the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s busiest shipping routes.
It said its response against “violators” was intended to reinforce navigation rules in the strategic waterway and warned that US military bases across the region would experience “hell” in the coming days.
Iran also accused the United States of breaching the ceasefire and warned that any further violation of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding would bring ongoing diplomatic efforts to an end.
The IRGC said vessels it considered to be violating the agreement would face tougher action and warned that any “enemy aggression” would be met with a “crushing response”.
The latest escalation came hours after the United States launched another round of strikes on Iran following an alleged drone attack on the Panama-flagged oil tanker M/T Kiku near the Strait of Hormuz. The strikes marked the second consecutive day of US military action linked to attacks on commercial shipping in the region.
According to US Central Command (CENTCOM), President Donald Trump authorised the operation after Iran allegedly violated the ceasefire agreement. CENTCOM said Tehran failed to honour the truce after a one-way attack drone struck the M/T Kiku, which was carrying more than two million barrels of crude oil while transiting near the Strait of Hormuz.
Explosions were also reported in southern Iran, with Iranian media saying blasts were heard in Sirik and that US projectiles had also struck a village on Qeshm Island.
Following the operation, Trump warned Tehran that the United States could escalate its military response if Iran continued to breach the ceasefire.
“United States aircraft just struck Iranian missile and drone storage locations, and coastal radar sites, for violating the Cease Fire Agreement, AGAIN! It is very possible that they will never learn! There may come a point when we are no longer able to be reasonable and will be forced to militarily complete the job that we very successfully started. If that happens, the Islamic Republic of Iran will no longer exist!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Saturday’s strikes followed an earlier US operation launched after Iran allegedly attacked the cargo vessel M/V Ever Lovely while it was transiting the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday.
The latest exchange of attacks has significantly raised tensions between Washington and Tehran, fuelling concerns that the fragile ceasefire agreed earlier this month could collapse completely.
