BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 2. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has claimed it carried out a new wave of attacks targeting U.S. military facilities and assets in the Gulf region, TurkicWorld reports.
In a statement, the IRGC said the twelfth wave of "Operation True Promise 4" allegedly targeted fixed and mobile U.S. military sites in Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, and the Strait of Hormuz, using 26 attack drones and five ballistic missiles.
The IRGC claimed that the U.S. base at Arifjan in Kuwait was targeted in two stages by 12 drones. In addition, the U.S. command and control center at Al-Minhad Air Base in the UAE was attacked with six drones and five ballistic missiles.
According to the statement, U.S. Navy facilities in Bahrain were also targeted by six drones.
The IRGC additionally claimed that the fuel tanker Athens Nova was struck by two drones and continues to burn in the Strait of Hormuz.
There has been no independent confirmation from US, Gulf, or other international authorities regarding these claims.
Following the 2nd round of nuclear talks between Washington and Tehran on February 17, which ended without progress, the U.S. increased its presence in areas near Iran, deploying over 150 aircraft to bases in Europe and the Middle East.
The escalation follows the 3rd round of nuclear talks between Iran and the United States in Geneva on February 26. Held under the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, the negotiations were viewed as the final chance to strike a deal diplomatically. However, no agreements were reached, as Tehran refused to halt uranium enrichment, dismantle its nuclear facilities, or accept indefinite restrictions on its nuclear program. Israel launched its airstrikes shortly afterward, with the country's Defense Minister Katz emphasizing that the operations were preemptive.
In a significant escalation, military airstrikes conducted by Israel and the United States the previous day have reportedly resulted in the deaths of Iran’s Supreme Leader Seyyed Ali Khamenei and several members of his family.
Additionally, several of Iran’s most senior military and security officials were killed in the airstrikes, including Chief of Staff Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Commander-in-Chief Mohammad Pakpour, Supreme Leader adviser and Defense Council Secretary Ali Shamkhani, and Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh.
