Iran Strikes U.S. Bases in Jordan, Bahrain and Kuwait After American Attacks Near Hormuz

Iran strikes U.S. military bases in Jordan, Bahrain and Kuwait with missile and drone attacks in retaliation for U.S. strikes near the Strait of Hormuz ordered by President Donald Trump after Iran downed a U.S. Apache helicopter. [1] The clashes mark one of the biggest exchanges in hostilities since the two countries agreed to a ceasefire in April. [1]

Iran's Retaliatory Strikes on U.S. Bases

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they had carried out missile and drone attacks on U.S. military bases in Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain on Wednesday in retaliation for American strikes on Iranian targets around the Strait of Hormuz. [1] Iranian media reported that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targeted key U.S. military installations, including the Al Azraq Air Base and a command-and-control center in Jordan. [2] The IRGC said the attacks were carried out with solid-fuel missiles and also targeted facilities linked to U.S. operations in Bahrain and Kuwait. [2] The force claimed that hangars housing F-35 fighter jets at a U.S. base in Jordan were among the targets. [2] It also said naval and drone units struck the headquarters of the U.S. Fifth Fleet in Bahrain and Kuwait’s Ali Al Salem Air Base. [2] Iranian forces fired long-range missiles and targeted and destroyed four major targets in Jordan, including F-35 fighter nests at an air base and the U.S. command centre in Al-Azraq, the country's Revolutionary Guards said in a statement quoted by state-run IRNA news agency on Wednesday. [3]

U.S. Strikes Near the Strait of Hormuz

The attacks came after U.S. Central Command announced strikes on Iranian air-defense systems, radar installations and ground-control facilities near the Strait of Hormuz. [2] Washington said the operation was conducted in response to the reported downing of a U.S. Apache helicopter by Iranian forces and was intended to protect U.S. personnel and international shipping in the Gulf. [2] US Central Command said it had struck Iranian air defence, ground control stations, and surveillance radar sites near the Strait of Hormuz with precision munitions from US Air Force and Navy fighter jets. [3] The incidents came after the US military said it had completed what Trump portrayed as a retaliatory assault on Iran over the downing of an Apache attack helicopter. [3] The Apache helicopter is the second crewed aircraft that Washington has confirmed was shot down by Iran during the war, following the loss of an F-15 fighter plane in April. [3] CENTCOM said the two crew members were rescued after the helicopter went down near the coast of Oman. [3]

Iranian missiles and drones strike U.S. military bases in Jordan, Bahrain and Kuwait. — Source: khaamapress

Defensive Responses by Jordan, Bahrain and Kuwait

Jordan's military said it shot down five missiles from Iran, with no casualties or material damage. [3] Bahrain said it intercepted and destroyed a number of Iranian aerial attacks. [3] An AFP correspondent in Bahrain's capital Manama said several loud explosions could be heard early in the morning, as Iran's Guards said they had struck another US base there. [3] Elsewhere, the Kuwaiti military said its air defences were engaging hostile aerial targets. [3] Jordan shot down five Iranian missiles with no casualties or damage while Bahrain intercepted aerial attacks and Kuwait engaged hostile aerial targets. [4]

Impact on Ceasefire and Peace Talks

The strikes came after the US carried out its own attacks on Iran in response to the shooting down of an American helicopter, straining a ceasefire that took effect in April. [3] The attacks have cast doubt on US President Donald Trump's earlier claim that negotiations were in their final throes before reaching an enduring settlement to end the US-Israeli war on Iran. [3] Hours earlier, Trump had said talks to end the three-month-long war were in their final stages, a claim he has made repeatedly in the past few weeks. [3] Asked whether it would be a matter of days or weeks, the US leader said it would take two or three days. [3] But after the downing of the helicopter on Monday, Trump said in a telephone interview with ABC News that the United States was responding in a strong manner. [3] And I believe the response should be very strong, very powerful, and that's what this one is, he said. [3] The ceasefire had already faced a serious test over the weekend when Iran and Israel briefly resumed their attacks, before later announcing a halt. [3] Iran has insisted that any deal to end the war must include a truce in Lebanon. [3]

Broader Regional and Economic Effects

The war, which began with US-Israeli strikes on Iran in February, threw the region into chaos and rattled global markets before a shaky truce began. [3] The renewed fighting has also overshadowed efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the critical waterway for global fuel supplies that Iran has blockaded since the start of the war. [3] Crude prices rose one percent on Wednesday amid dimming prospects for a deal, having fallen as much as five percent the previous day on optimism that an agreement would be reached. [3] On Tuesday, Araghchi urged foreign forces to leave the strait and surrounding areas, warning that they faced a risk of being caught in the crossfire if they remained. [3] Foreign forces in proximity to our territory are at constant risk, the best solution is for them to leave, he said. [3] Iran has recently carried out deadly attacks there too. [4] The exchange strains a ceasefire that began in April following a war that started with U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran in February. [4] Trump had claimed negotiations for a peace deal were in final stages but described the U.S. response as strong and powerful. [4] Crude oil prices rose one percent amid the escalation, which also affects efforts to reopen the blockaded Strait of Hormuz. [4]

Latest Incidents and Unverified Reports

During the US strikes, Iranian media reported at least two series of explosions along Iran's southern coast near the Strait of Hormuz. [3] Digital news outlet Axios reported that US forces had attacked several Iranian air defence systems and radar systems around the strait. [3] Independent verification of the claims was not immediately available. [2] Explosion heard on Iran’s Qeshm Island, local sources report. Cause of blast not immediately clear. [5]

What to watch next: Iran has maintained that its actions are defensive and has warned that further attacks on its territory or military assets will trigger additional retaliation while the ceasefire faces ongoing tests from incidents in Lebanon and the continued blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.