Tehran/Washington/Kuwait City/Manama/Amman, 13 July (H.S.): Tensions in West Asia escalated sharply on Sunday as the confrontation between the United States and Iran over the Strait of Hormuz intensified into a broader regional conflict. Following a fresh wave of large-scale American military strikes, Iran launched retaliatory drone and missile attacks targeting U.S. military installations across the Gulf region.
According to reports by CNN, Al Jazeera, IRNA, Fars News Agency and the Jordan News Agency, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said Iran had continued attacks on civilian and commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz. Acting on orders from President Donald Trump, the U.S. military carried out extensive operations aimed at degrading Iran's military capabilities.
In a statement posted on X, CENTCOM announced that it had completed a new round of operations against Iran, using precision-guided weapons to strike dozens of military targets at multiple locations. For the first time, the operation involved U.S. fighter aircraft, naval warships, one-way attack aerial drones and one-way attack sea drones. The strikes targeted Iran's air defence systems, coastal radar installations, missile and drone capabilities, as well as small military boats. The latest offensive came just 24 hours after the United States reportedly bombed nearly 140 Iranian military sites.
CENTCOM spokesperson Captain Tim Hawkins said U.S. forces had intercepted and destroyed one Iranian cruise missile and one one-way attack drone. He stated that the objective of the operation was to significantly weaken Iran's military capabilities.
Meanwhile, Khuzestan Deputy Governor Valiollah Hayati said a projectile struck an irrigation pumping station on farmland in Mahshahr early Monday morning, killing one person and injuring four others. Powerful explosions were also reported in the southern Iranian port cities of Bandar Abbas, Sirik and Jask, as well as on Qeshm Island.
An Iranian official said a security guard was killed and four others were injured after a projectile hit a water pumping station in Mahshahr County in southwestern Iran.
In response, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that it had launched drones and missiles targeting U.S. military bases across the Gulf. Bahrain's Interior Ministry confirmed that air raid sirens had been activated, while Kuwait's Armed Forces said in a statement posted on X that the explosions heard across the country were the result of its air defence systems intercepting hostile projectiles. The military urged residents to remain calm and follow official government instructions.
Earlier, Iran claimed it had struck infrastructure at American military facilities in Kuwait, asserting that fuel storage tanks and Patriot air defence systems at Ali Al Salem Air Base had been completely destroyed. The IRGC also claimed responsibility for an attack on Ahmad Al Jaber Air Base, located about 30 miles away.
Iran further claimed to have targeted a U.S. military installation in Bahrain. According to the IRGC, its air force struck helicopter maintenance and repair facilities, hangars housing P-8 Poseidon aircraft, and the military's drone command and control centre at Sheikh Isa Air Base. Bahrain's Interior Ministry said air raid sirens were activated immediately after the threat was detected and advised residents to move to safe locations.
Separately, Jordan's armed forces announced that they had intercepted and destroyed four missiles that entered the country's airspace, amid fears that the rapidly expanding conflict could engulf a wider region.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
