Iran's Gulf Offensive Explained: Patriot Air Defence System in Kuwait, Al Udeid Airbase in Qatar Among Targets

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps launched missile and drone assaults on US facilities in Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Qatar, and Oman, claiming retaliation for US actions.

Iran has launched attacks on several Gulf states and declared the Strait of Hormuz closed after the United States carried out its third round of strikes on Iranian targets within a week, marking a significant escalation in tensions between the two countries. Tehran said it had targeted Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Qatar and Oman in response to renewed US strikes on military sites along Iran’s southern coast.

The latest US attacks followed Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a strategically vital shipping lane, with Tehran accusing Washington of violating a memorandum of understanding (MoU) agreed between the two countries last month.

Iran said it launched missile and drone attacks against US military bases and facilities across several Gulf countries after the US Central Command (CENTCOM) carried out a fresh wave of strikes targeting Iranian radar, missile and drone sites in southern Iran.

According to the US military, the strikes came after Iran attacked commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. CENTCOM accused Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of launching a drone attack on a merchant vessel transiting the waterway.

Iran’s parliament speaker and senior negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, defended Tehran’s actions. “The era of one-sided deals is over.”

“We told you: keep your word or pay the price. Reality is knocking,” he wrote on X alongside an image of Article 5 of the MoU, which relates to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

Earlier in the week, US President Donald Trump declared that the ceasefire with Iran was over. His remarks came after Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei vowed to avenge the killing of his father.

The fragile agreement between Washington and Tehran had remained under pressure, with tensions returning to the Strait of Hormuz after Iran’s Revolutionary Guards attacked three commercial vessels, including a Qatari liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker off the coast of Oman.

The US then launched strikes on Iranian military targets, prompting Tehran to retaliate with missile and drone attacks on US bases across the Gulf. The exchange continued on Saturday when the IRGC announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz after accusing a container ship of using an unauthorised route.

Oman

According to Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB, the IRGC claimed it carried out a “heavy and surprise” strike on logistics support facilities and refuelling platforms used by US aircraft carriers at the port of Duqm.

The IRGC said the facilities had been destroyed.

Qatar

Iran said it targeted the US-operated Al Udeid Air Base with ballistic missiles, claiming it hit a fighter aircraft maintenance centre and a command-and-control facility.

Qatar’s Ministry of Defence said its air defence systems intercepted the incoming missiles. The country’s Interior Ministry said three people, including a child, were injured by falling debris from the interceptions.

Kuwait

Iran said explosive drones targeted a Patriot air defence system, an ammunition depot and a radar installation used by the US military. Kuwait’s Defence Ministry said three northern border facilities were struck in what it described as a “criminal attack”. It also said a drone hit an offshore drilling platform operated by Kuwait Oil Company, injuring one worker.

Iran’s Fars news agency reported that the intended targets included US High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) launchers and ammunition stores.

Iranian media also claimed missiles struck US Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) launchers stationed in Kuwait, although those claims have not been independently verified.

Bahrain

Iran said it launched drones against a US communications facility and radar site in Bahrain.