Iran Says It Struck 85 U.S. Military Sites in Bahrain and Kuwait in Direct Attack on American Forces

Iran has moved from striking Gulf states and commercial shipping to attacking United States forces directly. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it fired missiles and drones at 85 United States military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait, including Salman Port in Bahrain, home to the United States Navy's Fifth Fleet, and the Ali Al Salem air base in Kuwait, according to Al Jazeera. The IRGC described the operation as an "initial" retaliation for a fresh American assault on more than 80 targets across Iran and repeated that the Strait of Hormuz remains closed "until American intervention in the region stops," reporting by bne IntelliNews shows.

Governments in the region confirmed that an attack took place while disputing its scale. Kuwait and Bahrain reported incoming threats and air raid sirens, and Qatar and the United Arab Emirates said they intercepted missiles, Arab News reported. Iran's claim to have destroyed the sites and its casualty and damage figures could not be independently confirmed. A United States official told Reuters that the situation remained fluid but that there were no reported American casualties or major impact on United States facilities, and the Pentagon has not commented. Iranian state media said a fire broke out at the Fifth Fleet headquarters, a claim carried by The Jerusalem Post and not verified by any other party.

The strikes followed what Washington called its third wave of attacks in a week. United States Central Command said it had struck more than 300 targets across Iran since the start of the week, Russia's Kommersant reported, with about 140 targets hit overnight. Iranian state media reported explosions in the port cities of Bandar Abbas and Sirik along the strait, The Hindu's live coverage said. United States Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Iran "made a bad choice and is now paying," according to Israel's Ynet. The earlier round of Iranian fire had targeted six countries, including the mediators Oman and Qatar, while Saudi Arabia was spared. An earlier IRGC statement said it fired on a commercial vessel that "tried to move through an unauthorized lane" in the strait, and the Financial Times reported that a crew member was missing.

Oil is the primary channel to markets, and the fuller reaction is still ahead. Roughly 20 percent of the world's seaborne crude passes through Hormuz, and vessel-tracking data show traffic running well below normal. Brent held near $76 a barrel, up close to 5 to 6 percent on the week and carrying a renewed risk premium, Al Jazeera and CNBC reporting show. Cash markets were closed over the weekend, so the direct attack on United States forces had not yet been priced when trading stopped, and a larger move is expected when markets reopen Monday. During the earlier phase of the crisis in March, Brent traded above $100. The two sides describe the same events differently. Tehran presents its strikes and the closure as a response to American bombing, while Washington describes its own operations as protection for civilian shipping.