Tehran/Washington:
The IRGC said four major targets at the Al-Azraq base in Jordan had been hit, including hangars housing F-35 fighter jets and a US Army command-and-control centre. Iranian media also reported that the Muwaffaq Salti airbase in Jordan had been targeted.
The Guards further claimed responsibility for a drone strike on the headquarters of the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet in Bahrain at around 2.30 am local time. Iranian state media reported fresh explosions in Bahrain and Kuwait, saying American military facilities in the two countries had come under renewed attack.
There was no independent confirmation of the extent of the damage. A US official said initial assessments indicated that nearly all Iranian missiles and drones had been intercepted, with no immediate reports of casualties or damage to American bases. Jordan said it had intercepted five missiles, while Kuwait and Bahrain also activated air defences.
The Iranian strikes followed a series of US attacks on targets near the Strait of Hormuz. US Central Command (CENTCOM) said American forces had targeted Iranian air defences, ground-control stations and surveillance radar sites in what it described as a “proportional response” to the downing of a US Army Apache helicopter near the strait.
US President Donald Trump said the helicopter had been shot down while patrolling over the Strait of Hormuz. Both pilots survived without injuries.
“The United States must, of necessity, respond to this attack,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
The IRGC said the US strikes had targeted locations in Jask, Sirik and Qeshm in southern Iran, damaging a telecommunications tower and destroying two water tanks. Iranian officials, however, denied responsibility for the helicopter incident.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned Washington against maintaining its military presence in the region, saying Tehran would respond to any attack or threat.
“Our powerful armed forces will leave no attack or threat unanswered. Leave our region if you want to be safe,” Araghchi said in a post on X.
The exchange of fire marks one of the most serious escalations between Iran and the US since a ceasefire was agreed in April. It also comes amid a wider regional conflict involving Iran, Israel and Iran-backed groups in West Asia, raising fears of further instability across the Gulf.
