ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed it destroyed eight American military facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait, hours after Washington said it had struck several military targets inside Iran. The latest exchange of fire comes despite recent progress in peace talks between the two arch-enemies.
The IRGC said in a statement that it “destroyed eight important US military facilities at the Ali al-Salem base in Kuwait and at the Fifth Fleet naval base in Port Salman in Bahrain.”
"Any enemy aggression, whatever the pretext, even against insignificant targets... will have a crushing response," it added.
Washington and Tehran have engaged in a series of retaliatory strikes since Thursday, when Iranian forces reportedly targeted a transit vessel in the Strait of Hormuz.
Both sides have accused each other of violating the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed on June 18. The MoU extended the fragile ceasefire between the two countries by 60 days while enabling further negotiations on thorny issues, including commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and the future of Iran's nuclear program.
The IRGC's announcement was followed by a statement from the Iranian foreign ministry, which “strongly” condemned the strikes by the US military in the early hours of Sunday.
Citing violations of the MoU as well as clauses from the UN charter, Iran accused the US of placing “no value or credibility on its commitments and that treaty-breaking is inherent to the nature of this regime.”
Sunday's attack came after US President Donald Trump announced earlier in the morning that American forces had struck “Iranian missile and drone storage locations, and coastal radar sites, for violating the Cease Fire Agreement, AGAIN.”
He said Washington might be “forced to militarily complete the job” as they “no longer can be reasonable.”
“If that happens, the Islamic Republic of Iran will no longer exist!” he threatened.
Meanwhile, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said it struck 10 Iranian military targets “at multiple locations in and near the Strait of Hormuz,” citing an earlier attack by Tehran on a commercial ship.
Bahrain came under another wave of Iranian strikes on Saturday. While condemning the attacks in “the strongest possible terms,” it placed “sole responsibility for undermining peace efforts on Iran.”
The Strait of Hormuz remains a contentious point in the negotiation process between Washington and Tehran since February 28, when the US and Israel launched a military campaign against Iran, sparking a regional conflict that lasted until April 8.
Updated at 8:40 AM.
