Iran Claims Strikes on US Bases in Bahrain, Jordan as Gulf Tensions Escalate

Tehran, July 2026 : Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) on Wednesday claimed responsibility for a series of retaliatory strikes targeting US military facilities in Bahrain and Jordan, saying the attacks were carried out in response to renewed American military operations against Iran and the deployment of US naval forces in the region.

In separate statements carried by Iran’s official Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), the IRGC said its Aerospace Force launched attacks on the US military base at Al-Azraq in Jordan, targeting key military infrastructure, aircraft shelters, command facilities and strategic drone installations.

According to the IRGC, the operation struck shelters housing advanced US fighter aircraft, including F-15, F-16 and F-35 jets, as well as several MQ-9 Reaper drones stationed at the base. Iranian officials alleged that American forces had used military installations in Jordan to launch several attacks against Iranian territory in recent weeks.

The IRGC described the strikes as a direct response to what it termed continued US aggression and called on the people of Jordan to oppose the presence of American troops in their country. It urged Jordanians to prevent their territory from being used as a launching pad for attacks against Iran and other nations in the region, while also appealing for efforts to remove US military forces from Jordan.

In another statement, the IRGC’s naval arm claimed responsibility for attacks on facilities linked to the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain. It said the operation targeted the fleet’s NSI management centre, command and control facilities, fuel storage depots and warehouses used to store military equipment and spare parts.

Iran said the attacks were launched after the United States intensified naval deployments in the Indian Ocean and reimposed restrictions on maritime traffic linked to Iranian ports under the pretext of safeguarding shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

The IRGC warned that efforts to restrict Iran’s maritime trade would have wider consequences for global energy supplies.

“The enemy should know that after blocking the Indian Ocean route for the export of the region’s oil and gas, it must expect other export routes serving the interests of the United States and its allies to face disruption as well,” the statement said.

It further declared that oil and gas exports from the Gulf would either remain accessible to all countries or to none, signalling Iran’s willingness to expand the conflict into the maritime domain if pressure continued.

The Strait of Hormuz, which connects the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea, is one of the world’s busiest energy corridors, with a significant portion of global crude oil and liquefied natural gas exports passing through the narrow waterway each day.

Meanwhile, Bahrain strongly condemned the Iranian attacks, accusing Tehran of deliberately targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure.

In a statement posted on X, the Bahrain Defence Force (BDF) said Iran had continued its “systematic hostile approach” by launching missile and drone attacks aimed at civilian areas within the kingdom.

The BDF said its air defence systems successfully detected, intercepted and destroyed several incoming Iranian aerial threats on Wednesday morning, preventing major damage.

The General Command of the Bahrain Defence Force confirmed that all military branches remain on the highest state of alert and are fully prepared to defend the country’s sovereignty and protect its residents against further attacks.

Authorities also advised citizens and residents to stay away from any suspicious or unidentified objects that may have fallen during the attacks and immediately report them to security agencies.

The BDF said specialised teams from the Royal Field Engineering Unit had been deployed to safely dispose of missile and drone debris using advanced technical procedures to ensure public safety.

Bahrain further accused Iran of violating international humanitarian law by using missiles and drones against civilian targets and private property, describing the attacks as a serious escalation with potentially far-reaching regional consequences.

The latest exchange of attacks marks another dangerous phase in the rapidly escalating confrontation between the United States and Iran, with both sides showing little sign of backing down as tensions continue to spread across the Gulf region.

(The content of this article is sourced from a news agency and has not been edited by the Mavericknews30 team.)