IRGC Says It Launched Retaliatory Strikes on Kuwait, Bahrain After US Attack

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Sunday it had launched strikes against US military facilities in Kuwait and Bahrain in retaliation for recent US attacks on Iranian territory, warning that any further aggression would trigger a "crushing response."

The development came as Iran and the United States traded accusations of violating their fragile ceasefire, raising fresh concerns over efforts to end the conflict in the Middle East.

In a statement, the IRGC claimed it had "destroyed eight important US military facilities" at Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait and the US Fifth Fleet naval base in Port Salman, Bahrain.

The Guards also warned that "any enemy aggression, whatever the pretext, even against insignificant targets... will have a crushing response."

The latest escalation threatens a memorandum of understanding brokered by Pakistan in mid-June, which was intended to bring the conflict to a lasting end.

Under the agreement, Iran and the United States, along with their respective allies, pledged "not to initiate any war or any military operation against each other and to refrain from the threat or use of force against each other."

The United States carried out airstrikes on Iran for a second straight day on Saturday, saying the attacks were in retaliation for an Iranian strike on a commercial tanker in the strategically important Strait of Hormuz.

As part of the memorandum, Iran had agreed to guarantee the safe passage of commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman for a period of 60 days.

However, the IRGC said on Sunday that it had tightened control over maritime traffic in the waterway and warned that vessels violating its directives would face stricter action.

The Guards had already cautioned on Thursday that ships should not pass through the strait without Iranian authorization.

The warning followed Oman's announcement of an alternative shipping route. According to the IRGC, the only passage currently permitted is through a designated corridor along Iran's coastline.