Iran says it launched coordinated drone and missile strikes on US military bases across the Gulf

Iranian armed forces and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched a synchronized wave of drone and missile attacks on Wednesday, targeting US military installations and radar systems across the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan, and Erbil in Iraqi Kurdistan.

The joint military statement marks one of the broadest multi-country operational expansions by Iranian forces since hostilities escalated in late February.

Which US military facilities were targeted in the latest Iranian strikes?

According to official statements from the IRGC, dozens of kamikaze attack drones, including Arash-series UAVs, targeted critical early-warning radar systems and troop concentrations at Al Dhafra Air Base and Al Minhad Air Base in the United Arab Emirates. Concurrently, Iranian forces targeted radar systems and assembly points at Sheikh Isa Air Base in Bahrain.

In Kuwait, the IRGC claimed responsibility for a combined missile and drone strike against the headquarters and command accommodations at Ali Al Salem Air Base. Further north, coordinated missile and drone salvoes hit US facilities in Erbil, destroying maintenance hangars, technical warehouses, and the control apparatus for an airborne surveillance aerostat.

What triggered this multi-front regional escalation?

Iranian military spokespersons stated the multi-front campaign was launched in direct retaliation for recent US Central Command (CENTCOM) airstrikes along southern Iran. State media and the Iranian Red Crescent reported that 11 people were killed in recent US bombardments across Khuzestan and Hormozgan provinces, including an attack in Sirik county where missile shrapnel struck a home hosting a wedding ceremony, killing four civilians and wounding dozens.

According to Al Jazeera and the BBC, regional air defenses responded to the incoming barrage. Jordanian military officials confirmed intercepting 10 out of 13 incoming ballistic missiles, while Kuwaiti emergency services reported containing a residential fire caused by a downed drone. CENTCOM officials reiterated that US forces maintain high readiness and target strictly military infrastructure, denying intentional civilian targeting.