Iran and the United States traded conflicting claims on Saturday following a series of reported military exchanges in and around the Strait of Hormuz, further escalating tensions in the strategically important Gulf region.
Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) claimed it launched ballistic missiles at two US air bases in Kuwait, including Ali Al Salem Air Base, and facilities linked to the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain in response to what it described as American aggression against Iranian targets on Qeshm Island and in Sirik, according to Iranian state media.
According to an IRGC statement carried by Iranian media, US drones struck telecommunications masts on Qeshm Island and in Sirik after an earlier maritime incident involving oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz. The IRGC claimed its missile strikes were a direct response to those attacks and warned that any further US action would trigger a stronger response.
The Iranian statement also warned that continued hostilities could lead to the complete closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route for global oil and gas shipments.
However, the US military presented a different account of the events.
In a statement, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said American forces intercepted multiple Iranian ballistic missiles and drones launched toward the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf neighbours.
CENTCOM claimed US forces had earlier shot down four Iranian one-way attack drones that posed an immediate threat to regional maritime traffic. Following those interceptions, US forces struck Iranian coastal surveillance radar sites in Goruk and on Qeshm Island to prevent what it described as further maritime attacks.
According to CENTCOM, Iran subsequently launched seven ballistic missiles toward Kuwait and Bahrain. The US military claimed that six of the missiles were intercepted, while a seventh failed to reach its intended target.
CENTCOM further said there were no reports of injuries to US personnel and rejected Iranian claims that facilities associated with the US Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain had been damaged.
“Iranian claims of damaging US Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain are false,” the command said in its statement.
Neither side’s claims could be independently verified.