Iran Pounds US and Israeli Military Sites in Gulf Escalation

Revolutionary Guards claim missile and drone operations across Kuwait, UAE and Israeli-linked sites, signalling a dangerous escalation in the region

By Abdullahi Yusuf

Iran’s elite military force, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), says it has carried out a new wave of coordinated missile and drone strikes targeting American and Israeli-linked positions across the Gulf region, marking a further escalation in a conflict that is increasingly spilling across borders.

In a statement, the IRGC said its naval and aerospace units launched what it described as the 97th phase of its ongoing military campaign, striking what it called “key  enemy positions” in multiple locations, including Kuwait, United Arab Emirates and areas linked to Israel. The claims could not be independently verified.

Among the reported targets was a site near a naval installation in Kuwait, which Iranian officials described as being used by American personnel. The IRGC said the location was hit with ballistic missiles and drones, while unconfirmed reports pointed to emergency response activity in the aftermath. There has been no immediate confirmation from US authorities.

The group also claimed responsibility for an attack on a commercial vessel it identified as Israeli-linked near Jebel Ali port in the UAE, saying the ship had been struck and set ablaze. Maritime authorities in the region have yet to publicly confirm the extent of the damage or the ownership of the vessel.

The IRGC said it has tightened its control over the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical oil transit routes, restricting the movement of vessels it says lack authorisation.

Commercial ships and oil tankers operating in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman were instructed to coordinate passage through designated communication channels, a move that could further disrupt global energy flows already under strain from the conflict.

The strategic waterway, through which a significant portion of the world’s oil supply passes, has become a focal point in the confrontation, raising fears of wider economic consequences if access is further curtailed.

Iranian officials also said strikes were carried out against what they described as Israeli military-linked infrastructure in Beersheba, in southern Israel, as part of a broader response to earlier US and Israeli attacks on Iranian territory.

The latest claims follow reported strikes a day earlier on facilities in the UAE and Bahrain, underscoring the widening geographical scope of the confrontation. Tehran has framed its actions as retaliation, while warning that further attacks on its territory would trigger a more “intense and expansive” response.

So far, Iranian authorities say dozens of coordinated strike waves have been launched using missiles and drones targeting US military assets and Israeli-linked infrastructure across the region. Independent verification of the scale and impact of these operations remains limited.

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