Iran Claims Strike On US Base In Kuwait

IRGC Says Strike Was Retaliation for US Action Near Bandar Abbas

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has claimed responsibility for targeting a US airbase in Kuwait, describing the move as a direct response to an American military strike near Bandar Abbas Airport in southern Iran. According to Iran's semi-official Tasnim News Agency, the IRGC said the retaliatory strike came at 4:50 am local time, hours after what it described as a US assault on a point near the port city's airport using aerial projectiles.

"Following the pre-dawn aggression today by the invading American army against a point on the outskirts of Bandar Abbas Airport using aerial projectiles, the American airbase, as the origin of the aggression, was targeted at 4:50 a.m.," the IRGC said in a statement. It added that the strike was a "serious warning" to Washington, and that any further US aggression would be met with a "more decisive" response.

Earlier on Thursday, US officials said that US Central Command forces shot down four Iranian one-way attack drones that posed a threat around the Strait of Hormuz, and that the US military also struck an Iranian ground control station in Bandar Abbas that was about to launch a fifth drone.

Kuwait Activates Air Defenses as Situation Remains Fluid

Kuwait activated its air defenses in response to what it described as "hostile missile and drone threats," with the military adding that any explosion sounds heard were the result of air-defense systems intercepting incoming attacks. While the IRGC did not specify which base had been targeted, Kuwait's military confirmed it was responding to hostile missile and drone attacks. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack on Kuwait.

The back-and-forth challenges the fragile ceasefire between the US and Iran, coming just days after President Donald Trump claimed a deal extending the truce by 60 days was nearly complete. Oil prices climbed over 3%, with both the international benchmark Brent and US West Texas Intermediate futures rising on fears over security in and around the Strait of Hormuz. The strait is the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which about a fifth of all oil and natural gas traded once passed, and ongoing negotiations between Tehran and Washington have not yet reopened it.

The escalation in hostilities highlighted threats to the tenuous ceasefire that took effect in early April, dampening hopes for a peace deal. The situation continues to evolve and reports remain fluid.

Sources:
The Express Tribune: Iran's IRGC says it targeted US airbase in Kuwait
CNBC: Kuwait air defenses activated against missile and drone threats
The Hill (AP): Kuwait says it faces missile and drone attack as ceasefire challenged