Iran Retaliates Against US Attacks, Warns of Full Hormuz Closure

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has announced that its Aerospace Force targeted the Ali Al-Salem air base in Kuwait and remaining key facilities of the US Navy's 5th Fleet headquarters in Bahrain with ballistic missiles. This action was in direct retaliation for US drone strikes on IRGC communications towers on Qeshm Island and Sirik, following a confrontation over unauthorized tanker movement in the Strait of Hormuz.

In a detailed statement, the IRGC reconstructed the full sequence of events leading to the strikes. At 01:30 AM, four tankers attempted to exit the Strait of Hormuz without coordination with the IRGC Navy and in disregard of warnings. After IRGC Navy warnings were issued, one of the tankers was struck and stopped, while the remaining vessels turned back. At 02:00 AM, US drones struck two IRGC telecommunications towers, one on Qeshm Island and one on Sirik. In immediate retaliation, the IRGC Aerospace Force targeted the Ali Al-Salem air base in Kuwait and the remaining significant facilities of the US Navy's 5th Fleet headquarters in Bahrain.

The IRGC statement warned: "If these acts of aggression are repeated, the response will not be limited," adding, "You [the US-Israeli coalition] will be responsible for the consequences of the complete closure of the Strait of Hormuz to the export of your oil and gas."

According to Mehr News Agency (MNA), the IRGC emphasized that any further aggression would be met with a stronger response, potentially including the full closure of the strategic waterway. The Strait of Hormuz is a critical passage for global oil shipments, and its closure could have significant economic and geopolitical repercussions.