The US military says it has launched “self-defence” strikes on Iran and shot down ballistic missiles and drones fired at ships and Gulf countries.
The strikes on Qeshm Island, in the Strait of Hormuz, were “in response to attempted attacks by Iran across the Middle East”, US Central Command (Centcom) said.
Iran said it had attacked US bases and helicopters in a “regional country” using missiles and drones in retaliation. Centcom said Tehran had fired two missiles at Kuwait and three at Bahrain, all of which broke apart or were intercepted.
The latest attacks come amid stalled ceasefire negotiations, after talks on a deal to end the months-long war failed to advance over the weekend.
Centcom added the strike on Qeshm Island had targeted an Iranian military ground control station, and that the US military also shot down three attack drones that had been launched by Iran toward “civilian mariners that were rightfully transiting regional waters”.
The IRGC said “disrupting the security of the Strait of Hormuz will carry a heavy price for the aggressive US military”.
Centcom also said that Iran had launched “several” ballistic missiles towards countries in the region. “Two Iranian missiles fired at Kuwait fell short or broke apart en route, and three missiles launched at Bahrain were immediately intercepted by US and Bahrain air defence forces.”
Iran has repeatedly attacked targets in Bahrain and Kuwait, where US military bases are located.
