Iran said on Thursday that it struck United States facilities and forces in Jordan, Kuwait and Iraq, according to statements released by Iranian state media. So far, the Pentagon, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) and Jordanian authorities have not responded to those claims.
State media reported that the Iranian army said it “attacked U.S. military communication systems and fuel depots” at the Azraq base in Jordan, where Tehran alleges U.S. forces operate.
In a separate statement, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed it hit a C-RAM early-warning radar at Ali Al Salem airbase in Kuwait and a U.S. troop concentration area in Umm Qasr, Iraq, in a combined missile-and-drone operation. The IRGC also urged the Kuwaiti population to reject the U.S. military presence, asserting that “U.S. operations against Iran were being conducted from Kuwaiti territory.”
The IRGC said the strikes were in response to recent U.S. bombardments of southern Iran and said naval and aerospace units participated as part of the eighth wave of “Operation Nasr 2.”
Hours earlier, U.S. forces completed a fifth wave of strikes against Iran, CENTCOM confirmed. The U.S. command said forces targeted “Iranian command centers, air defense positions, missile and drone capabilities, and coastal surveillance facilities” to reduce the regime’s ability to “threaten innocent mariners operating commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.”
It added: “CENTCOM used precision munitions to strike targets in multiple locations, including Bandar Abbas.”
The new offensive followed Washington’s confirmation that it had reinstated a naval blockade on Iranian ports and coasts and its announcement that two merchant vessels were diverted after, according to the Pentagon, attempting to evade U.S. restrictions.
At the same time, Donald Trump intensified his rhetoric toward Tehran and warned the military campaign could expand in coming days if the Iranian regime does not agree to resume negotiations. “Next week the situation will be very bad for them,” he said in an interview with Fox News.
Despite the military escalation, diplomatic channels remain open. However, the speaker of Iran’s Parliament and the regime’s chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said the memorandum signed with Washington lost its validity after the United States reinstated the naval blockade.
“A memorandum of understanding only makes sense when its clauses are valid and fulfilled. If Iran receives no benefit from the agreement, we have no reason to honor it,” he said.
The primary focus of the confrontation remains the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic route for global oil and gas trade. Iran again restricted transit through the strait after accusing the United States of failing to honor agreed commitments, while Washington responded with new military operations and the reinstatement of the naval blockade on Iranian ports and coasts.
(With information from REUTERS)