Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) said it responded to a US airbase in Kuwait by firing a retaliatory attack. The attack on Thursday was made at 04:50 a.m. local time and the missile was launched at an infrastructure network inside the borders of the Government of Kuwait, Iranian military statements said.
The IRGC said that the strike was a direct response to a previous American air attack on the Bandar Abbas Airport in southern Iran. Iranian authorities gave a strong warning, saying the operation is a serious message for further aggression not to go unanswered. The U.S. Department of Defense does not have an official response to the base’s condition at this time.
Escalating Conflict Puts Fragile Ceasefire in Jeopardy
The escalation happened overnight after a number of heavy defensive operations conducted by American troops throughout the day. Four Iranian drones that were an “immediate threat” in the vicinity of the strategic Strait of Hormuz were successfully intercepted and downed by U.S. forces, a U.S. military official confirmed. Separately, American precision-guided munitions hit an Iranian ground control station in Bandar Abbas that was in the process of launching another drone.
The previous maneuvers were “measurable” and any defensive moves to maintain the status quo, said U.S. CentralCommand (CENTCOM). But Tehran strongly protested the U.S. actions as an “inviolation of the ceasefire.
The increased level of armed conflict follows the uncertainty over the regional peace process. President Donald Trump said from The White House that he’s not happy with the state of the negotiations and if a good deal isn’t agreed upon, the USA might have to “finish the job”.
The regional conflict broke out on Feb. 28 after a series of surprise attacks by US and Israeli forces, in response to which, Iran retaliated with massive drone and missile strikes and the complete closure of the Strait of Hormuz. On 8th April, a temporary cease fire was agreed after an intense effort by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan, but no subsequent high level talks in Islamabad could reach a permanent peace agreement. The US has extended the truce indefinitely, but has kept a tight naval blockade on all shipping routes to Iranian ports.
