Iran launches retaliatory strikes on US bases across the Middle East, claims several American troops killed

Iran says it has begun making the United States pay for strikes on its southern coast. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced retaliatory attacks against American military positions across the Middle East and claimed that several US personnel had been killed.

In a statement carried by the semi-official Tasnim news agency, the IRGC said its forces had started a punishment campaign that would bring “the invaders a bitter regret.” It said the first move included using a new air-defense system to shoot down an MQ-9 drone for the 50th time.

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The brave Revolutionary Guard fighters have already begun punishment that will bring the invaders a bitter regret.

The Guard separately said it had attacked hangars for RQ-4 and MQ-9 long-range drones at Prince Hassan air base in Jordan. Several drones were destroyed, it claimed, along with the deaths of some pilots and aviation maintenance personnel. Iranian forces also fired missiles and drones at a US base in Erbil, Iraq, claiming to have destroyed maintenance facilities, warehouses and fuel storage tanks and killed some members of the “invading forces.”

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The first move was to use a new air-defense system to shoot down the US invading forces’ advanced MQ-9 drone for the 50th time.

The attacks extended beyond Jordan and Iraq. Kuwait said it activated its air defenses early on July 2 in response to Iranian missiles, while several explosions were reported in Bahrain. Jordan’s military said 13 ballistic missiles had entered its airspace on the night of July 1. Ten were intercepted and destroyed, while three landed in remote areas without causing casualties.

The Iranian attacks followed US strikes on Bandar Abbas, Chabahar, Konarak and Sirik along the Strait of Hormuz. US Central Command said the targets were the Revolutionary Guard, after it allegedly attempted to attack commercial shipping in the strait and US troops in the region. In the village of Kuheštak in Sirik, a civilian home hosting a wedding was hit. The Red Crescent said four people, including children, died and more than 50 were injured. Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency reported five deaths and 68 injuries, with some of the wounded in critical condition. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei called the strikes “barbaric crimes” and said Iran would respond firmly.

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Iran’s list of crimes against the Iranian people has grown longer than ever.