TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced on Wednesday, July 8, 2026, that it launched coordinated missile and drone attacks targeting United States military installations in Bahrain and Kuwait.
Golden Info reports that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps described the operation as direct retaliation for recent United States military strikes on Iran following occurrences involving commercial oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz. The multi-pronged offensive targeted specific installations, including Bahrain’s Fifth Naval District at Bandar Salman and the Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps stated that its forces shot down a United States MQ-9 drone during the operation, though independent validation of the shootdown has not been established. Air raid sirens were activated across both host nations as the incoming projectiles neared their targets.
The Kuwaiti army confirmed that its national air defence systems engaged the incoming hostile missile and drone threats, while state authorities in Bahrain separately confirmed the activation of their own air defence protocols.
The Iranian offensive occurred hours after the United States conducted a fresh wave of military strikes against targets inside Iran and cancelled a trade licence that permitted Tehran to export crude oil. The United States government stated that its unilateral actions were executed in response to previous hostile actions directed at three commercial tankers navigating the Strait of Hormuz.
The United States Central Command confirmed that its forces struck more than 60 boats operated by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps during the initial American operation. In an official statement, the United States Central Command said: “The unwarranted aggression by Iranian forces is a clear and dangerous violation of the ceasefire and undermines freedom of navigation.”
The military encounters follow the expiration of a fragile ceasefire agreement that had been established to facilitate a 60-day window for indirect diplomatic negotiations in Qatar, which concluded last week without an official breakthrough.
Global energy markets reacted to the regional escalation on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, as Brent crude futures rose by 1.73, representing a 2.52 per cent increase, to settle at $70.28 per barrel.
Iran’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abbas Araqchi, stated that permanent diplomatic negotiations would not commence if external threats against the nation continue.