IRG Strikes Airbase in Retaliation After US Attack on Sirik Island
By Staff, Agencies
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards [IRG] said early Monday that its Aerospace Force struck the air base from which the attack on a communications tower on Sirik Island in Hormozgan province was launched.
According to the statement, the operation was carried out in response to the hostile aggression on the island, which originated from the airbase that was later targeted in retaliation.
The IRG warned that if such actions are repeated, its air force's response "will be completely different."
In its statement, the IRG held the "hostile, child-killing American regime" that continues to violate the ceasefire responsible, sparking further escalation in the region, with Iranian military officials indicating readiness to respond more forcefully to any future attacks.
The US Central Command [CENTCOM] had announced earlier that it struck "targets" in Iran over the weekend, in the latest escalation testing a fragile ceasefire between Tehran and Washington.
In a statement, CENTCOM claimed the strike targeted Iranian radar and command-and-control sites for drones in Goruk, Iran, and on Qeshm Island.
Labelling the strikes "self-defense", the US claimed that its actions came in response to what it described as "aggressive Iranian actions," including the "downing of a US MQ-1 drone that was operating over international waters."
Earlier on Sunday, Iranian state TV reported, citing a statement released by the Public Relations Office of the IRG, that Iran’s air defense units shot down an American MQ-1 unmanned aerial vehicle early this morning after it violated the airspace over the country’s territorial waters in a hostile act.
The IRG said the drone was intercepted and destroyed by air defense systems over Iranian territorial waters. The aircraft was identified as a US military MQ-1 drone, a model commonly used for surveillance and strike missions.
“The Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ air defense units downed an American MQ-1 drone in the early hours of today, after it entered the airspace above Iran’s territorial waters while attempting to carry out an aggressive operation,” the statement read.
The IRG also issued a strong warning regarding the security of the country’s maritime and air boundaries.
“The airspace over Iran’s territorial waters is under full control,” the IRG's Public Relations office stated, asserting that “any act of aggression will be dealt with firmly.”
Iran recovers US drone wreckage, warns of further aggression
Earlier on May 30, the Iranian army recovered the wreckage of a drone it shot down over Gulf waters and published footage of the remains.
According to a statement released by the Iranian Army’s Air Defense Force, the unmanned aerial vehicle was detected near Qeshm Island and, shortly after radar identification, air defense units engaged the aircraft in a successful operation that struck and completely destroyed it.
The IRG previously issued a stern warning on May 28 following a US military violation and aggression near the Bandar Abbas Airport, stressing that any further aggression “will not go unanswered."
In a statement released by its Public Relations Office, the IRG said the US military launched aerial projectiles at a location on the outskirts of Bandar Abbas before dawn. It added that Iran responded by targeting the US air base from which the attack originated at approximately 4:50 am.
The operation came as a “serious warning", the IRG said, adding that the response was intended to demonstrate that any aggression against Iran would be met with retaliation, warning that any repeat attack would provoke “a more decisive response."
“The responsibility for the consequences lies with the aggressor,” the statement added.
The latest escalation came as US-Iran talks continue over a possible ceasefire and Strait of Hormuz shipping, with rising tensions keeping maritime security and de-escalation efforts in focus.
