Iran Targets American Bases in Middle East After US Attacks

Iran launched attacks Wednesday on Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan after U.S. forces launched retaliatory strikes against the downing of an American attack helicopter.

Bahrain and Kuwait activated their air defense systems to respond to the Iranian attacks, while Jordan said it intercepted five missiles aimed at an air base hosting U.S. forces, according to multiple news reports.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it targeted 21 sites hosting U.S. air and naval assets across Kuwait, Bahrain, and Jordan, the semi-official Mehr News Agency reported.

The IRGC said the strikes hit four sites at Jordan’s Al-Azraq base, including hangars housing F-35 fighter jets and a command center, and another site hosting the U.S. Fifth Fleet in Bahrain.

Kuwait’s military said in a post on X that its air defense systems were “intercepting hostile aerial targets” and called on the public to follow instructions issued by the authorities for safety.

The attacks came just hours after U.S. Central Command said its forces completed “self-defense strikes” on June 9 targeting Iranian air defense, ground control stations, and surveillance radar sites near the Strait of Hormuz.

Central Command said the strikes were “a proportional response” to Iran’s recent attacks on U.S. forces and international commercial ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

U.S. President Donald Trump accused Iran of downing a U.S. Army Apache helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz on June 9 and vowed that the United States would respond.

“There were two pilots involved, both are safe and uninjured. Nevertheless, the United States must, of necessity, respond to this attack,” the president wrote in a Truth Social post.

In a post on X, Iranian Foreign Affairs Minister Abbas Araghchi warned that Iran’s military “will leave no attack or threat unanswered” and urged foreign forces to withdraw from the region.

Reports on the crash surfaced after Iran and Israel halted a renewed exchange of fire on June 8. Tehran warned that any further Israeli attacks would trigger a more severe response, while Israel said it would retaliate if Iran resumed attacks.

The latest flare-up between Iran and Israel threatened to complicate negotiations between Washington and Tehran, which Trump has described as close to a breakthrough.

Trump told reporters in New York on June 8 that negotiations with Iran were continuing and there was a “good chance” of reaching a deal within “two or three days.”

“I think we’re very close to having a very, very good, strong, powerful deal,” he said. “If we go and bomb, which we could do very easily if we want, and we spend another two or three weeks bombing, they’ll have nothing left whatsoever. But you won’t have the strait open for months.”