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The United States continued to hit Iran for the twelfth consecutive night early Thursday, prompting a retaliatory response from Iran, which targeted locations in the Gulf, particularly in Kuwait and Jordan.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Thursday, reported that an explosion had set a tanker ablaze in the Strait of Hormuz as it attempted to navigate the southern route off the coast of Oman.
The Houthis, meanwhile, claimed a major operation against two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea, named the Encelia and the Layla. The Saudi SPA news agency confirmed the Encelia was hit.
The IRGCon claimed it had carried out coordinated drone and missile strikes on US military facilities in Kuwait and Jordan, alleging damage to air defence systems, military infrastructure and logistics hubs.
According to the Iranian state broadcaster IRIB, the IRGC said it struck the Ali Al Salem Air Base and Camp Arifjan in Kuwait, targeting military warehouses, fuel tankers, ammunition depots and a hangar housing MQ-9 Reaper drones. It also claimed to have hit accommodation used by US personnel, helicopter hangars and communications infrastructure, alleging casualties among American troops. The claims could not be independently verified.
The IRGC further said it attacked US military sites in Jordan, claiming to have destroyed a THAAD missile defence radar, a Patriot air defence system and a C-RAM radar. It also alleged that fuel storage facilities, a helicopter equipment warehouse and a maintenance hangar were destroyed in the strikes.
In separate statements addressed to the people of Kuwait and Jordan, the IRGC maintained that its operations targeted only US military assets and did not violate the sovereignty or territorial integrity of either country. It argued that the presence of US forces on their soil made those installations legitimate military targets.
Meanwhile, the IRGC said it had shot down a Polish-made Tiguar M reconnaissance drone operating inside Iranian airspace. It alleged that the aircraft was supporting US military operations by identifying targets for long-range precision strikes. The claim has not been independently verified.
The reported shoot-down comes amid Iranian assertions that US unmanned aerial capabilities have suffered significant attrition during the conflict, particularly among MQ-9 Reaper drones. Tehran has repeatedly claimed to have downed several Reapers, with over 53 of the aircraft reported to have been downed, although the US has not publicly confirmed the reported losses. The unsustainable rate of losses and the US Air Force’s inability to procure more Reapers are considered key factors that led to its procurement of the Polish Tiguar M as a less capable substitute.
Regional tensions have remained high since the latest round of hostilities between the United States and Iran. Although Washington and Tehran signed a Pakistan-mediated memorandum of understanding last month aimed at reducing tensions and working towards a broader peace agreement, the ceasefire efforts have largely unravelled following renewed confrontation over the Strait of Hormuz, triggering another cycle of military exchanges.
Team BharatShakti
