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Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has carried out a third wave of what it called “Operation Nasr-2,” striking United States military facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait in retaliation for renewed American strikes on the Islamic Republic.
In a statement issued on the evening of July 14, the Guards said their naval and aerospace units carried out a coordinated missile and drone attack under the code name “Ya Zain al-Abidin.”
It also warned that continued U.S. military action would keep the Strait of Hormuz closed and halt regional oil and gas exports.
The strikes destroyed several warehouses storing weapons and parts for naval vessels and aircraft at Bahrain’s Sheikh Isa base, according to the statement.
The IRGC also said it targeted the MQ-9 Reaper combat drone deployment ramp at Kuwait’s Ali Al Salem Air Base, destroying or damaging several such drones there.
The operation, it said, was carried out in response to strikes earlier that day by the U.S. military against several Iranian military coastal stations.
The statement warned that retaliation would continue for as long as what it called US crimes persisted, and said any further attacks would be met with “surprising responses.” It also said that no oil or gas would be exported from the region for as long as US actions in the area continued, and said the strikes would only delay the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Kuwait’s military admitted in a statement that one of its navy vessels was targeted in what it described as Iranian attacks, injuring four armed forces personnel. According to the statement, Kuwaiti air defenses detected and intercepted one ballistic missile, five cruise missiles, and 33 drones during the day.
Meanwhile in Bahrain, warning sirens sounded more than once, with the interior ministry reporting interceptions. Impacts were reported.
Earlier, Iranian media reported U.S. strikes on several locations in southern Iran, including Qeshm Island, Kish Island, and Andimeshk.
Central Command confirmed launching fresh strikes against Iran for the fourth consecutive night. In a statement, it said that strikes are aimed at “degrading Iranian capabilities used to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.”
“The strikes are taking place as American forces prepare to resume the naval blockade against Iranian ports and coastal areas,” the command added.
The strikes came after a Norwegian tanker was hit by an explosion caused by an unidentified device off the Omani coast in the morning.
MTI Network, a crisis response company, said in a statement that shipping company Stolt Tankers reported that “its tanker vessel Stolt Magnesium while on passage in the Arabian Sea off the coast of Oman suffered from an explosion of an unidentified external device,” with a spokesman adding that “fortunately are all safe and accounted for.”
The escalation is expected to continue in coming days, although a memorandum of understanding signed by the U.S. and Iran last month to end the war has not yet collapsed.
Neither side appears to be interested in returning to full-on war, but at the same time, no concessions are being made to avoid this. Eventually, the deal will fall apart. Nearly all of its terms have been violated in recent days. This will play in favor of Israel.
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we’re now bombing the rubble in iran!
heheheh