On July 12, US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that it had struck approximately 140 targets inside Iran. In response to the US attack, Iran launched strikes against several US military facilities in Kuwait, Qatar, and Bahrain.
US Central Command stated, “US forces hit approximately 140 Iranian military targets with precision munitions launched by land- and sea-based fighter aircraft, drones, and naval vessels. The targets included Iran’s missile and drone bases, naval facilities, Ammunition depots, communication networks, and coastal surveillance sites.”
It added that it had attacked more than 300 targets inside Iran in three separate strikes this week.
Iranian state media reported that the explosions mainly occurred in southern coastal areas, including Bushehr Province, Qeshm Island, Bandar Abbas, Sirik, Chabahar, Bandar Dayyer, Jask, Asaluyeh, and Kerman.
Press TV reported that in response to US attacks on southern Iran, Iranian forces used drones to target Patriot air defense systems, ammunition depots, and US radar facilities in Kuwait. It added that Iranian forces also struck US communication and radar facilities in Bahrain.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that it launched a ballistic missile attack on Al Udeid Air Base, a US air facility in Qatar.
According to Iranian state broadcaster IRIB, Iran’s ballistic missile strikes hit an MQ-9 drone hangar and a command and control center at Prince Hassan Air Base in Jordan. Additionally, a logistics support center and a refueling platform for US aircraft carriers at the Port of Duqm in Oman were destroyed.
On the same day, the IRGC announced that it would close the Strait of Hormuz and prevent any vessel from passing through until US interference in the region comes to an end.
On July 13, US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that it had completed the offensive operation against Iran that began on the 12th. It noted that the air strikes targeted Iranian air defense systems, coastal radar bases, missile and drone operational capabilities, and small vessels, utilizing fighter jets, naval ships, and drones, as well as one-way attack maritime drones for the first time. Explosions were indeed heard several times in the Iranian port cities of Qeshm and Bandar Abbas.
On the same day, the IRGC and Iranian armed forces launched simultaneous air strikes against US military facilities in Jordan, Bahrain, and Kuwait. Fuel and ammunition depots at Prince Hassan Air Base were destroyed using ballistic missiles and drones; according to released footage, at least 12 missiles were fired toward the facility. A US drone command and control center in Bahrain was also destroyed. The attack struck a helicopter maintenance center and a hangar for P-8 electronic warfare aircraft. Mehr News Agency reported that the IRGC fired three ballistic missiles at US ATACMS surface-to-surface missile systems deployed in Kuwait.
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi stated on social media, “, it is essential that the Supreme National Security Council or the Parliament approve practical regulations specifying the system’s decisive response in case of any assassination attempt against the Supreme Leader, military and state officials,” adding that a strategy of “crushing response” is being formalized against any military attack.
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei noted during a briefing, “There is no doubt that the memorandum of understanding in question is under threat,” adding, “If necessary, we will use military means to secure the national interest, and when the national interest requires, we will employ diplomatic means.”
In a statement, the IRGC declared, “The only way to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to vessel traffic is for the aggressive U.S. military to end its interventions in the strait and respect the sovereignty of countries over their own coastal waters.”
The Central Headquarters of the Iranian Armed Forces Command stated decisively in a statement, “we will under no circumstances allow the US to interfere in the management of the Strait of Hormuz.”
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump announced the resumption of the blockade on Iranian ports.
Trump stated on social media, “We are reinstating the the iraninan blockade, so named because it is only stopping Iran’s ships or customers from entering or leaving. All other countries will have fair and open use of the Strait,” adding, “(The USA) will be reimbursed, at the rate of 20% on all cargo shipped, for any and all costs necessary to do the job of providing safety and security.”
The US Navy-led Joint Maritime Information Center announced that the maritime blockade against Iran would begin on July 14 at 20:00 US time.
On July 14, US Central Command announced that it had completed a 5-hour air strike targeting the areas of Bushehr, Chabahar, Jask, Konarak, Abu Musa, and Bandar Abbas the previous day. It subsequently disclosed that more than 50,000 US military personnel are currently deployed in West Asia.
On the same day, Tasnim News Agency reported that the IRGC initiated a multi-stage operation in retaliation for the US strikes on Iranian coastal bases.
The IRGC declared its intention to respond to foreign military interference in the Strait of Hormuz with force, stating, “The Strait of Hormuz is our territorial waters, and we will not tolerate thugs and child-killing forces from around the world continuing their illegal interference here.”
