Iran claims to have destroyed a US drone fleet in Bahrain.

Photo: Collected

​News Desk: A fresh round of retaliatory strikes took place between the United States and Iran in the Gulf region on Sunday night. This has renewed the Middle East stalemate centered around the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran stated that the recent US attacks have "derailed" all diplomatic efforts made over the past few months.

​A US military spokesperson claimed that the United States launched fresh strikes on Iranian military and civilian installations after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targeted another commercial vessel while it was passing through the narrow entrance of the Persian Gulf.

​At one time, one-fifth of the world's oil and natural gas was transported through this route. Both Washington and Tehran have been making contradictory claims regarding maritime transit through this strait. This strait serves as a major point of leverage for Tehran in negotiations regarding agreements signed between the two countries.

​US military bases in the region also faced retaliatory strikes from Iran. Tehran has acknowledged these recent attacks, which has vastly increased the risk of a complete breakdown in diplomatic relations between the two countries.

​The US military began launching further strikes on Iran starting Sunday. US Central Command (CENTCOM) claimed that they used precision-guided munitions to strike dozens of targets across various locations "to degrade Iran's capability to continue attacks on international shipping passing through the Strait of Hormuz."

​These targets included Iranian military air defense systems, coastal radar sites, missile and drone capabilities, and small boats.

​CENTCOM further claimed that, for the first time, they utilized "US fighter aircraft, naval warships, one-way suicide drones, and one-way suicide surface drones."

​The US military had previously claimed to have hit nearly 140 targets—strikes that were far more powerful than the two previous rounds over the past week.

​Speaking on the US news program "Meet the Press" on NBC, President Donald Trump said, "Last night, we bombed the hell out of them."

​In response to US aggression, Iranian forces attacked US military bases in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Jordan, and even Oman. The Strait of Hormuz is located within the territorial waters of Oman and Iran. According to information from an Iranian news agency, drone strikes on US bases in the region are ongoing. Tehran claimed that they destroyed a US drone fleet in Bahrain.

​The IRGC stated in a declaration that their Aerospace Force struck a US helicopter maintenance facility, a hangar for a P-8 aircraft, and a US military drone command-and-control center.

​Iranian media further claimed that Tehran carried out a "devastating drone" attack on US forces stationed in Kuwait. That base houses US defense and missile systems, bunkers, and shelters. Iran's IRGC had previously claimed responsibility for launching attacks on the Ali Al Salem and Ahmad al-Jaber bases in Kuwait as well.

​The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs alleged that this new attack by the United States has derailed all efforts made over the past few months to de-escalate tensions and establish peace in the West Asia region.

​The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs further charged, "By openly interfering in Iran’s process of implementing necessary measures in the Strait of Hormuz, the US administration has once again brought back insecurity there and disrupted international commercial shipping."

​According to a report by Al Jazeera, one person was killed and four others were injured at an agricultural water pumping station in the Mahshahr area of Iran's Khuzestan province due to missile or artillery strikes. Valiollah Hayati, the Deputy Governor for Security and Law Enforcement, stated that the attack occurred early Saturday morning. The deceased individual was a security guard at the facility.

​US forces carried out strikes on cities in Iran's Khuzestan, Hormozgan, and Sistan-Baluchestan provinces. Explosions were reported in at least four locations in Hormozgan province—Jask, Sirik, Qeshm Island, and Bandar Abbas—where radar sites and military installations are located.

​Explosions were also reported in areas around Ahvaz, including Omidiyeh, Mahshahr, Behbahan, and Dezful in Khuzestan province. Airstrikes were carried out near Chabahar in Sistan-Baluchestan and outside the city of Khondab in Markazi province, where a water treatment plant is located.