Click to see full-size image. (U.S. Central Command)
The United States launched extensive strikes against Iran over the night of June 9 and 10, with the Islamic Republic responding by attacking three American bases in the Middle East.
In a statement, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said that the strikes were carried “at the Commander in Chief’s direction in response to yesterday’s downing of a U.S. Army Apache helicopter.”
Iranian air defense, ground control stations, and surveillance radar sites located close to the Strait of Hormuz were targeted with precision munitions from U.S. Air Force and Navy fighter jets, the command added, describing the military operation as a “proportional response to recent attacks on U.S. forces and international commercial ships transiting regional waters.”
“U.S. forces remain vigilant and postured to defend against unjustified Iranian aggression,” CENTCOM concluded.
Sounds of explosions were heard in eastern parts of Iran’s Hormozgan province, according to Iranian media. Strikes were reported in Sirik, a city in Hormozgan, as well as on the island of Qeshm in the Strait of Hormuz, which is also part of the province. In Sirik, water storage tanks were destroyed.
In the following hours, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced in separate statements that it had struck F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter jet shelters and a command-and-control center at Al-Azraq Air Base in Jordan, unidentified targets at Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait, and the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain. Ballistic missiles and one-way attack drones were used.
The guards also announced that it had shot down an American MQ-9 Reaper close to the Strait of Hormuz using a “modern air defense system.”
The IRGC warned that Iranian forces remain prepared to deliver a “decisive and crushing response” to any further attacks, and said that responsibility for the consequences of future military action would rest with the U.S.
“If these hostile actions continue, even heavier responses are on the way,” the guards said in one of the statements.
An Iranian military official later told the Fars News agency that 70 percent of the targets were hit, citing “satellite images and information sent by field sources to Iran’s foreign intelligence service.”
However, Reuters reported, citing initial U.S. intelligence assessments, that nearly all of the missiles and drones launched by the Islamic Republic at U.S. military facilities in the region were intercepted. The news agency said that only four missiles were launched.
The clash was more extensive than previous rounds of fighting amid the ceasefire. However, with no casualties being reported, no further escalation is expected.
Still, with no real progress in efforts towards a deal between the U.S. and Iran, the region could slide back to an all-out war very soon.
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