Iranian forces counter with missile claims as US attacks intensify in Hormuz region

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) issued a series of statements on Saturday following the United States’ seventh night of air raids on Iran. The IRGC claimed that two oil tankers navigating the Hormuz Strait detonated underwater mines, producing large explosions—an allegation that U.S. officials completely denied.

In addition to the maritime claim, the IRGC announced that it had targeted Bahrain’s Sheikh Isa Air Base, where U.S. fighter aircraft are deployed, and the Batelco Intelligence Data Center. The militia further said it struck Kuwait’s Al‑Ahmadi fuel support pier and a U.S. signal‑communications facility, leading Kuwait to suspend its international airport operations temporarily as a precaution against missile and drone attacks.

Iranian state TV reported that the U.S. bombings damaged several bridges in Hormozgan Province, killing seven individuals and disrupting key routes to Bandar Abbas, the nation’s largest seaport. A tower at the strategic Chabahar port was also destroyed; the U.S. military asserted that the tower was used by the IRGC to coordinate attacks on shipping in the Hormuz Strait.

Other infrastructure hit during the raids included Iran’s power grid and the Iran‑Shahr airport. In response to the heat wave and repeated strikes, the Ministry of Energy urged citizens to limit electricity and air‑conditioner usage, warning that the southern power network was under severe strain. The Health Ministry later reported approximately 38 deaths and over 400 injuries.

The conflict, now in its seventh day, has seen the earlier interim agreement—meant to keep the Hormuz Strait open and facilitate a path toward a permanent cease‑fire—lose its effectiveness. Iran has closed the strait, while the United States reinstated a naval blockade over Iranian ports and ships on Wednesday.