By Blessing Nweke
Iran said Thursday it targeted a U.S. air base in retaliation for recent American military strikes near the southern Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas, raising fears of renewed escalation despite ongoing efforts to preserve a fragile ceasefire in the region.
According to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched the strike at approximately 4:50 a.m. local time after U.S. attacks near Bandar Abbas, a strategic city close to the Strait of Hormuz. The report did not specify the location of the targeted American base, and there was no immediate confirmation from U.S. officials.
The incident came as Kuwait’s military announced that its air defense systems intercepted “hostile missile and drone threats” early Thursday. Kuwait did not identify the source of the attacks, though the country hosts U.S. military facilities previously targeted by Iran-aligned groups.
A U.S. official said American forces on Wednesday shot down four Iranian one-way attack drones and destroyed a ground control station inside Iran that was believed to pose a direct threat to U.S. forces and commercial shipping near the Strait of Hormuz. The official described the operation as a limited defensive action rather than a return to major combat operations.
The IRGC warned that any further American attacks would provoke a “more decisive” response, while President Donald Trump insisted the Strait of Hormuz would remain open to global shipping.
Meanwhile, oil prices rose Thursday amid concerns the worsening confrontation could threaten maritime trade through the critical waterway, which carries roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil supply.
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