Iranian state media, citing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, announced that the nation’s army conducted drone strikes against U.S. military installations. Specifically, the reported strikes targeted Patriot missile defense systems at the Arifjan and Ali Al Salem bases in Kuwait, a satellite antenna facility in Qatar, and fuel storage sites at the Juffair and Sheikh Isa bases in Bahrain. The Pentagon was contacted for confirmation regarding these claims on Wednesday evening.
This development follows a series of intense U.S. military operations in the region. According to Central Command, U.S. forces struck 90 Iranian targets on Wednesday, including air defense systems, naval assets, and facilities used for storing drones and missiles. This activity followed a strike on 70 military targets on Tuesday, which included the destruction of 60 small boats. President Donald Trump characterized the U.S. strikes as retribution for the Iranian bombing of ships, issuing a stern warning: “If it happens again, it will get much worse!”
The current hostilities are centered on the Strait of Hormuz. At issue is control of the shipping channel that before the war was used to transport about a fifth of the world’s oil and gas. Its closure has led to skyrocketing global fuel prices.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad B. Ghalibaf addressed the conflict on X, accusing the United States of bullying and broken promises. He warned that any further strikes would be met with retaliation, stating, “Don’t flail around pointlessly, or you’ll sink even deeper.” Ghalibaf further asserted that the shipping channel would only be reopened under “Iranian arrangements” rather than American threats.
While President Trump has signaled a move away from negotiations, he has also stated that he does not anticipate a return to the initial intensity of the war. Future diplomatic discussions were expected to cover the status of the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s nuclear program, and the potential release of frozen Iranian assets, though the current cycle of escalation has left the path to peace uncertain.
