Iran targets sites in Bahrain, Kuwait after wave of US strikes

July 8 (Reuters) – Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Wednesday they were targeting U.S. military facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait after the United States launched a wave of military strikes against Iran in response to attacks on tankers in the Strait of Hormuz.

In the latest blow to the fragile ceasefire agreement, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced that it had carried out a joint missile and drone operation against the key US forces. A US MQ9 unmanned aerial vehicle was shot down while trying to interfere with the operation at military facilities in Bandar Salman, Bahrain’s Fifth Naval Region, and Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait.

Air raid sirens went off in Bahrain and Kuwait, officials said. Kuwait’s military said its air defenses were facing “hostile” missile and drone attacks.

The US had previously launched new military attacks and revoked the license that allowed Iran to sell oil in response to attacks on three tankers in the strait.

US Central Command said that more than 60 small boats belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were among the targets hit, with the aim of imposing a heavy cost on Iran for attacks on ships in violation of the ceasefire.

“Unwarranted aggression by Iranian forces is a clear and dangerous violation of the ceasefire and undermines freedom of navigation,” CENTCOM said in a statement. he said.

Iran’s top joint military command, Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, condemned the US strikes as a “blatant act of aggression”, threatened a “crushing response” and warned that Tehran would not allow US interference in the management of the strait.

Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqir Qalibaf, one of Iran’s senior negotiators, accused the USA of violating the ceasefire agreement. He touched not only on recent US military strikes, but also on renewed oil sanctions, violations of Iran’s “adjustments” in the Strait of Hormuz, and Israeli attacks on Lebanon.

“The era of tyranny and extortion is over,” Kalibaf said in a post on X. “We are not giving up.”

Iranian media had previously reported explosions on Kharg Island, Iran’s main oil hub, Qeshm Island and the southern port cities of Sirik and Bandar Abbas.

Iran Press TV reported that multiple explosions were heard on southern Kharg Island. CENTCOM made no mention of Kharg Island, from which Iran exports 90% of its crude oil.

A US official told Reuters that the strikes targeted Iran’s air defense systems, coastal surveillance systems, surface-to-air missiles, anti-ship cruise missiles and drone launch sites.

According to an Iranian state television reporter, no civilian deaths were reported in Iran, but many people were injured by shrapnel from an “enemy projectile” that hit a commercial pier in Sirik. Reports stated that the strikes also hit fishing piers in Sirik and Bandar Abbas.

The incidents were the latest threat to the fragile ceasefire deal the United States and Iran signed last month, pausing a conflict sparked by U.S. and Israeli strikes across the Islamic Republic.

OIL PRICE INCREASED

In a potentially major blow to that deal, Washington moved on Tuesday to withdraw a key concession that allowed Iran to sell oil on international markets.

Oil prices rose more than 3% after the US announced the move.

A US official has previously said negotiators continue to work in good faith to reach a final agreement with Iran. But control of the strait gave Tehran enormous influence and effectively allowed it to stalemate the world’s most powerful military.

Analysts say Tehran is using attacks on ships to highlight this advantage as it negotiates a long-term peace deal with the United States

Under the US-Iran interim agreement, the US Treasury issued a general license on June 22 allowing the sale of crude oil, petrochemicals and petroleum products originating from Iran until August 21. It revoked this license on Tuesday, giving Iran until July 17 to stop all transactions.

NO PRECAUTIONS REQUIRED

Iran’s foreign ministry condemned the move as a violation of the framework agreement aimed at ending the war and said Washington would bear responsibility for its consequences.

Iran will take any measures it deems necessary to protect its interests and national security, the ministry said in a statement early Wednesday.

While Tehran has denied responsibility for recent attacks on ships in the strait, Qatar has accused Iran of attacking ships, including the giant Qatar liquefied natural gas tanker Al Rekayyat, which reportedly was hit by a drone, causing a fire in its engine room. The crew was safe and being evacuated.

Maritime security sources said a Saudi-flagged crude oil tanker, believed to be the supertanker Wedyan, was also damaged off the coast of Oman. The reason was not immediately clear.

Iran’s foreign ministry said Qatar’s accusations were confusing and that Tehran was diligently fulfilling its commitments. Despite this, it was stated that commercial ships face the risk of using routes that are not coordinated with Iran.

A second US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said initial indications were that Iran had opened fire on three merchant ships.

Iran’s religious rulers aim to establish a permanent system for collecting fees, in what would represent a major shift in the balance of power in a region where Washington has long acted as guarantor of security.

The US strikes came after large crowds mourned Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the holy city of Qom. Khamenei was killed along with his daughter, grandson, son-in-law and daughter-in-law on the first day of the war.

The ceasefire was intended to provide a 60-day window for talks on a permanent deal, but indirect talks in Qatar ended last week with no signs of progress.

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to continue bombing Iran if it does not agree to “make a deal”.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said that according to the provisions of the temporary ceasefire agreement, negotiations on the final agreement “will not begin if the threats continue.”

(Reporting by a Reuters team in Tehran and Reuters bureaus; Writing by David Morgan and Stephen Coates; Editing by Kate Mayberry)