The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has claimed it targeted an American air base in the region, after the United States launched fresh air strikes on southern Iran.
While the IRGC did not disclose the location of the base, Kuwait said it intercepted “hostile missile and drone threats”, without specifying its source.
The U.S military had earlier said it shot down Iranian drones over the Strait of Hormuz. It also claimed to strike a military site in Bandar Abbas, which is a strategic port city.
This marks the second time in three days that the United States attacked targets in Iran, after a round of “self-defence” strikes on southern Iran on Monday. The strikes targeted Iranian missile sites and boats laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz. Currently, thousands of commercial vessels are stranded in the strait due to the ongoing conflict.
According to the U.S Central Command (CENTCOM), the military site in Bandar Abbas was struck as it was about to launch a fifth drone. Iranian media reported that blasts were heard to the east of the city.
CENTCOM called its strikes “measured, purely defensive, and intended to maintain the ceasefire”.
The Central Command also said the U.S military forces shot down four Iranian one-way attack drones “that posed a threat around the Strait of Hormuz”.
Iran described the United States’ actions as “a grave violation of the ceasefire” and warned that the regime “will not leave any act of hostility unanswered”.
The United States imposed sanctions on the “Persian Gulf Strait Authority”, which is currently tasked with collecting payments from ships traveling through the strait.
Spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry Esmaeil Baqaei had said on Monday that Tehran was collecting fees for “navigational services” and that it would continue to manage traffic through the maritime passage.
The U.S Treasury Department said in a statement that any ships that pay the authority could also be “exposed to the risk of sanctions”.
