Iran strikes US bases in Bahrain and Kuwait, threatens further retaliation if conflict continues

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched missile and drone strikes on Thursday against U.S. military facilities in Kuwait and Bahrain, in the Iranian regime’s second consecutive response to the offensive that the United States has been waging against its territory since Tuesday.

According to a statement released by state-run IRIB television, the joint operation by the IRGC’s naval and aerospace forces targeted the Arifjan and Ali Al Salem bases in Kuwait, and the Juffair and Sheikh Isa facilities in Bahrain. The Revolutionary Guard warned that it will respond with further attacks against those bases if Washington launches another offensive against its territory.

The Kuwaiti Army confirmed that it had intercepted the missiles and drones launched against its territory.

"The General Staff of the Army notes that any explosions heard are a result of air defense systems intercepting hostile attacks," Kuwaiti forces said, also asking the public to refrain from photographing or sharing content related to the incidents. In Bahrain, the Interior Ministry repeatedly sounded air raid sirens overnight and urged residents to remain calm. No deaths or injuries have been reported in either country so far.

The attack came hours after the U.S. carried out its second consecutive day of airstrikes against Iran, which, according to CENTCOM, "to continue reducing" Tehran’s ability to "threaten freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz," after the regime attacked three ships in that waterway on Tuesday. According to various reports, Wednesday’s U.S. offensive destroyed Iranian radar and missile systems.

Trump had anticipated since the NATO in Turkey that Washington would respond harshly to any new Iranian aggression. "This is in retribution for yesterday's bombing of ships by Iran," he wrote on Truth Social, alongside an image he presented as evidence of a strike on Iranian territory. "If it happens again, it will get much worse!"

The speaker of the Iranian Parliament and chief negotiator with Washington, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, responded on Thursday with a warning:"America still hasn't learned that bullying and breaking promises are no longer cost-free. Let me put it plainly: if you strike, you'll get hit." Qalibaf added that "the Strait of Hormuz will only open with 'Iranian arrangements,' not American threats."