Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said early on Sunday that its navy and aerospace forces had launched a joint missile and drone operations targeting U.S. military sites in Kuwait and Bahrain in response to recent U.S. strikes against Iran.
"Violating the ceasefire is contrary to Clause 1 of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding and will result in the complete halt of all diplomatic processes," the Revolutionary Guards said in a statement, according to Press TV.
The IRGC Navy Command said that U.S. bases in the Gulf will experience "hell" in the coming days.
The move came hours after the U.S. military said it struck Iran again for the second time in two nights, hours after a tanker was hit in the Strait of Hormuz, in the worst escalation since the two sides signed an interim peace deal two weeks ago.
Each of the warring sides has accused the other of violating the agreement reached two weeks ago to end the four-month-old conflict.
U.S. Central Command said on Saturday its forces carried out fresh strikes after a Panama-flagged tanker was attacked by an Iranian drone early on Saturday. In Iran, state broadcaster IRIB said early Sunday local time that explosions were heard in Sirik in southern Iran, without providing further details.
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Trump and Khameini
(Photos: Hamed Jafarnejad/ISNA/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters, Alex Brandon/AP, Stringer/Reuters)
"Iran was given a chance to honor the ceasefire agreement but elected not to," U.S. Central Command said in a statement. It said the strikes were "in direct response to continued Iranian aggression against commercial shipping" and targeted Iranian military surveillance, communications, air defense, drone storage and mine-laying facilities.
A U.S. defense official later reported that the strikes on Iranian targets were complete, according to Fox News.
Washington said earlier that it hit Iranian targets overnight. Iran said it responded on Saturday by striking targets linked to U.S. forces.
Footage released by CENTCOM of attacks on Iran on Saturday
(Video: Centcom)
Saturday's attack on a tanker in the strait followed another on a cargo ship on Thursday that triggered the latest escalation. Iran has made a fresh bid to assert control over the world's most important energy shipping route, which has begun to reopen after months of disruption.
Britain's UKMTO maritime security agency said the tanker hit on Saturday - the {Panamanian-flagged tanker M/T Kiku hit as it sailed near the Strait of Hormuz - had sustained damage to its bridge, with all crew reported safe. The Joint Maritime Information Center, run by a coalition of navies protecting shipping, raised its security threat level as a result of recent incidents.
Iran has not directly commented on reports of specific attacks on ships. But Iranian state television reported that the Revolutionary Guards fired "warning shots" toward unspecified vessels attempting to pass through channels not approved by Iran, and that this was now prompting other ships to seek Iranian permits before attempting to cross the strait.
Ship traffic in the Strait of Hormuz
(Photo: Stringer/Reuters)
Earlier, Iran's foreign ministry said it launched "defensive" attacks on U.S.-linked military targets, while Bahrain, which hosts the U.S. Navy's regional headquarters, reported an Iranian drone attack. The U.S. military did not immediately respond to the reports.
Trump addressed the Iranian attack on Saturday, saying that “Iran launched at least four drones toward ships crossing the Strait of Hormuz.” One of them, he said, scored a direct hit on the upper deck of a cargo ship, while three others were intercepted. “Clearly, this is a foolish violation of our ceasefire agreement,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
Iran rejected the U.S. accusations and accused Washington of violating the agreement. The Iranian Foreign Ministry said the U.S. strikes constituted a “blatant violation” of the UN Charter and the memorandum of understanding between the parties. The Revolutionary Guards warned that “if the aggression is repeated, Iran’s response will be broader.”
First published: 02:18, 06.28.26