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Iran carried out a powerful attack against United States bases in the Persian Gulf over the night of June 2 and 3 in response to American strikes.
The escalation began when the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that its forces had enforced “blockade measures” against the Botswana-flagged tanker Lexie as it transited international waters toward Kharg Island in the Islamic Republic.
The command said in a statement that the vessel’s crew ignored repeated warnings, failing to comply with directions from U.S. forces multiple times over a 24-hour period.
A U.S. aircraft ultimately disabled the vessel by firing a Hellfire missile into the ship’s engine room, preventing the tanker from reaching Iran, it added.
Right after the strike, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that it had carried out “precise and concentrated missile strikes” targeting a base hosting U.S. forces in Kuwait.
“Any new folly, any further aggression, or any move that even touches an inch of our borders and sovereignty will be met with a seismic, crushing, and decisive response that will go beyond the usual rules and boundaries, and our brave forces will not hesitate to turn all aggressors’ bases and their interests in the region into ashes,” the guard said in a statement, warning that “the time of ‘hit and run’ is over.”
Sirens sounded in both Kuwait and Bahrain around the same time the IRGC released its statement, with CENTCOM announcing shortly after that its forces had “defeated” multiple Iranian ballistic missiles and drones, and conducted “self-defense strikes” on Qeshm Island.
“Two Iranian missiles fired at Kuwait fell short or broke apart enroute, and three missiles launched at Bahrain were immediately intercepted by U.S. and Bahrain air defense forces,” the command said in a statement.
“Moments earlier, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces shot down three one-way attack drones launched by Iran toward civilian mariners that were rightfully transiting regional waters. American forces also conducted self-defense strikes on an Iranian military ground control station on Qeshm Island,” it added, noting that no U.S. personnel were harmed.
Right after, the IRGC said in a statement that its forces launched missiles at the Liberian-flagged container ship MSC Panaya in response to the American strike on Lexie. According to maritime traffic data, the ship last known position is off the shores of Bahrain.
The guards added that an American helicopter base in a regional country and the Fifth Fleet headquarters in Manama, the capital of Bahrain, were also targeted in response to strikes that hit a communications tower in southern Qeshm Island.
“Any further disruption to security in the Strait of Hormuz would be met with a severe response,” the statement added.
The helicopter base mentioned by the IRGC is reportedly Camp Buehring, a massive staging ground for the U.S. military’s Middle Eastern Theater Reserve in Kuwait.
CENTCOM reported the interception of “an additional wave of Iranian drones attempting to attack U.S. forces in Kuwait” later in the morning, stressing again that “no American personnel or assets were harmed.”
Still, impacts were confirmed in Manama, and Kuwait admitted that its main international airport took some serious damage.
Iran warned earlier in the week that it will not tolerate further strikes by the U.S. following a similar clash,with later reports from Persian media alleging that the Islamic Republic also halted the exchange of messages with Washington in response to what it sees as ceasefire violations.
Recent remarks from President Donald Trump still indicate that the U.S. is still optimistic about a deal with Iran to end the war. Nevertheless, the latest clashes shows that a return to fighting is more likely.
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