Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced early Thursday that it launched a retaliatory strike against a US airbase in Kuwait. According to a statement carried by Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency, the operation was executed at 4:50 AM (0120 GMT).
The IRGC stated the attack was a direct response to an earlier American aerial assault near Bandar Abbas Airport in southern Iran. "This response is a serious warning so that the enemy knows that aggression will not go unanswered," the IRGC statement read, warning of a "more decisive" follow-up if American actions are repeated. The US military has not yet issued an official response to the claimed strike in Kuwait.
Preceding Clashes Near the Strait of Hormuz
The IRGC's announcement followed a disclosure by a US official, who confirmed to Anadolu that American forces had intercepted four Iranian drones deemed a threat near the strategic Strait of Hormuz. The US forces also launched a pre-emptive strike against an Iranian ground control station in Bandar Abbas that was reportedly preparing to deploy a fifth drone.
"These actions were measured, purely defensive, and intended to maintain the ceasefire," the US official stated on the condition of anonymity.
This exchange marks a sharp escalation after US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed a previous round of strikes earlier this week targeting Iranian missile launch sites and naval vessels allegedly attempting to lay mines in the Gulf. Tehran fiercely condemned those actions, calling them a "grave violation of the ceasefire".
Fragile Truce Under Immense Strain
The current conflict originally erupted on February 28 when a series of surprise joint attacks by the US and Israel prompted massive drone and missile counter-offensives from Tehran, alongside the temporary closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
While a temporary ceasefire was brokered via Pakistani mediation on April 8, subsequent formal peace talks in Islamabad failed to yield a permanent resolution. US President Donald Trump later extended the truce indefinitely; however, Washington has maintained a strict naval blockade on all vessels traveling to or from Iranian ports.
Commenting on the gridlocked peace negotiations shortly before the latest military flare-up, President Trump remarked that he was "not satisfied with it, but we will be. Either that, or we'll have to just finish the job".
