MANAMA/TEHRAN/WASHINGTON,13 July (H.S.): Iran launched attacks on U.S. military installations in Bahrain on Sunday following the latest American strikes on Iranian territory, further escalating tensions across West Asia amid the ongoing confrontation over the Strait of Hormuz. Air raid sirens sounded across Bahrain, prompting authorities to urge residents to seek shelter. According to Bahrain's Ministry of Interior, citizens were advised for the second consecutive day to move to the nearest safe location after warning sirens were activated.
According to reports by CNN, Al Jazeera, IRNA and Fars News Agency, Bahrain's Ministry of Interior posted on X on Sunday morning (local time), urging citizens and residents to remain calm and proceed to the nearest safe shelter. Meanwhile, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced on Telegram that it had launched missile and drone attacks against U.S. military positions in allied countries following the recent strikes on central and southern Iran.
The IRGC claimed responsibility for attacks on U.S. military facilities in Bahrain, stating that, in retaliation for Washington's strikes, its Aerospace Force targeted helicopter maintenance and repair facilities, hangars housing P-8 Poseidon aircraft, and a drone command-and-control center at the U.S. air base in Sheikh Isa. Bahrain's Ministry of Interior said no damage had been reported so far.
The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) stated on X that its latest military operation against Iran struck dozens of targets at multiple locations using precision-guided weapons. CENTCOM said the operation marked the first use of fighter aircraft, naval vessels, one-way attack aerial drones, and one-way attack sea drones in the campaign. The strikes targeted Iran's air defence systems, coastal radar installations, missile and drone capabilities, as well as fast attack boats. CENTCOM added that U.S. forces had struck nearly 140 Iranian military sites a day earlier, following which Tehran launched retaliatory attacks against Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Jordan.
Powerful explosions were also reported in the Iranian port cities of Bandar Abbas, Sirik and Jask, as well as on Qeshm Island. U.S. President Donald Trump claimed that the Strait of Hormuz remained open for maritime traffic. However, Iran's Persian Gulf Strait Authority stated that navigation would not be permitted until stability and peace were restored. The renewed confrontation that began over the weekend has significantly intensified diplomatic tensions between the two countries.
A U.S. military spokesperson said American forces carried out further strikes after the IRGC allegedly attacked another commercial vessel in the strategic waterway. Several U.S. allies, including Kuwait, Oman, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates, also reported coming under Iranian attacks during the weekend. Washington has accused the IRGC of repeatedly firing on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
CENTCOM spokesperson Captain Tim Hawkins said U.S. forces had intercepted and destroyed one Iranian cruise missile and one one-way attack drone. He added that the objective of the American strikes was to degrade Iran's military capabilities. Meanwhile, Khuzestan Deputy Governor Valiollah Hayati said one person was killed and four others injured after a missile struck an irrigation pump station on farmland in Mahshahr earlier on Sunday morning.
---------------
Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
