Iran said on Thursday that it had carried out a fresh military operation against US installations in the Gulf, claiming to have deployed one-way attack drones against American military assets in Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar in retaliation for the latest US airstrikes on Iranian territory.
A statement released by Iran’s military and carried by state media said the operation was part of its ongoing response to Washington’s military campaign in the region.
The military claimed that ‘in continuation of the attacks by the Islamic Republic of Iran’s army on US bases in the region’ it had struck a Patriot missile defence system in Kuwait, fuel storage facilities in Bahrain and an early warning system in Qatar using ‘a large number of various types of army kamikaze drones’.
It further declared that ‘The armed forces of Iran will under no circumstances allow the realisation of the goals and ambitions of the insane president of the United States, and will continue to defend the ideals of the Islamic revolution until the final victory.’
IRGC says four US military installations were hit
Earlier in the day, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that it had launched a coordinated missile-and-drone operation against four US military sites in the Gulf.
According to the IRGC, the targets included Camp Arifjan and Ali Al-Salem Air Base in Kuwait, along with Naval Support Activity Bahrain (Juffair) and Sheikh Isa Air Base in Bahrain.
Describing the operation as the ‘first phase of the punitive response’, the IRGC claimed it had destroyed ‘infrastructure and important facilities’ at all four locations.
The force also warned that the campaign ‘will expand to include other American bases throughout the region’ if US military action against Iran continues.
Iranian media reports strike on US Navy headquarters
State media in Iran also reported that Iranian forces had attacked the headquarters of the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet in Bahrain as well as an American military base in Kuwait.
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The reports claimed a fire broke out at the Fifth Fleet headquarters after the strike. However, there has been no independent confirmation of the reported damage.
Iran reports death toll from US airstrikes
Iran’s Health Ministry said US military strikes over the last two days had left 14 people dead and 78 others injured.
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Hossein Kermanpour, head of the ministry’s public relations department, wrote on X that ‘Of the injured, 47 are still hospitalised and the rest have been discharged after receiving medical care.’
Fighting escalates after Trump declares ceasefire ‘over’
The latest exchange of attacks followed another round of US strikes on Iran, which Washington said were aimed at protecting commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz after recent attacks on cargo vessels.
The operation came only hours after US President Donald Trump announced that the ceasefire with Iran was ‘over’, further raising concerns that the conflict could intensify across the region.
First published on: Jul 09, 2026 02:18 PM IST
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