IRG Retaliates with 12-Missile Strike on US Al-Azraq Base

By Staff, Agencies

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards [IRG] said it launched retaliatory strikes on US military positions in Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain, describing the operation as a punitive response to renewed US attacks on Iranian territory.

According to reports, the IRG said it fired 12 ballistic missiles at the Al-Azraq Air Base and its control center in Jordan, destroying “these facilities and a large number of fighter aircraft,” including US F-35, F-15, and F-16 jets reportedly stationed at the base.

In a separate statement quoted by IRNA, the IRG said it conducted two waves of operations, striking “18 important targets belonging to the US Army” at bases in Kuwait and Bahrain.

It further stated that it hit Kuwait's Ali Al Salem and Ahmad Al-Jaber air bases and Bahrain's Sheikh Isa airbase. Iranian media earlier reported that the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain had also been targeted.

Separately, in a statement issued by the IRG’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, Iran declared the immediate closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

“From this moment, due to insecurity in the region, the Strait of Hormuz is declared closed to the passage of any type of vessel, including oil tankers and commercial ships, and any passage will be struck,” the statement said, as quoted by Sepah News.

The announcement cited “the continued mischief of criminal America” and “the beginning of attacks by that country’s aggressive army on some areas in the south of Hormozgan province.”

The IRG also denied US claims of ships passing through the strait, stating, “The US claim of a ship crossing the said strait is denied.”

In a separate statement, Khatam al-Anbiya HQ announced that a “superior record” had been set tonight in the management of defensive and offensive operations by the country’s armed forces against aggressors.

“Favorable air defense operations of the Army and IRG, rapid and extensive offensive missile operations of the IRG Aerospace Force, the upper hand of IRG and Army naval forces in the Strait of Hormuz and the Sea of Oman in effective fire exchanges, along with the rapid execution of the order to close the Strait of Hormuz” demonstrated enhanced synergy and coordination among the armed forces against the enemy, the statement said.

In response to the escalating confrontation, Kuwait’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation announced it would temporarily close its airspace from 4:50 am local time [0150 GMT], diverting flights to alternative airports.

“This measure comes in light of the Iranian attacks on the State of Kuwait and the potential risks this poses to civil aviation in the region,” the authority said in a statement.

It added that airspace would be reopened once “the situation has ended and the causes of the danger have been eliminated.”

Kuwait’s military also confirmed its air defence systems were engaging “hostile aerial targets” following the US strikes against Iran.

In a post on X, the army’s general staff urged the public to follow safety instructions and rely on official sources for information.

Earlier, Iranian media reported US aggression triggered air defense activation across Iran on Wednesday, with explosions in southern cities including Bandar Abbas, Sirik, and Minab, and claims of strikes near key military and infrastructure sites amid rising regional tensions.