End of U.S. Strikes on Iran and Iran’s Strikes on Regional Countries

The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that the latest round of “defensive” strikes against targets in Iran has concluded. At the same time, reports have emerged of air defense systems being activated at various locations across Iran, as well as claims of retaliatory Islamic Republic strikes against American targets in Bahrain and Kuwait.

In a statement, CENTCOM announced that, on the orders of President Donald Trump, U.S. forces carried out a series of strikes against surveillance facilities, communications systems, and air defense centers belonging to Iran’s armed forces at various locations across the country. The statement said that Marines, Air Force, and Navy personnel used precision weapons to strike targets that Washington described as threats to American forces and commercial vessels in the region.

CENTCOM described the strikes as a response to what it called “Iran’s continued and unprovoked hostile actions” and emphasized that U.S. forces remain on full alert.

Following the strikes, Iranian domestic media reported the activation of air defense systems in western Tehran, Fars Province, Bandar Abbas, Assaluyeh, and parts of southern Iran. Reports also emerged of explosions being heard near the port of Sirik, Minab, the port of Kangan, and around the airport and air base in Bandar Abbas.

Iran’s official news agency IRNA confirmed that “enemy projectiles” struck a location in Sirik. Some local sources also reported that facilities linked to the Islamic Republic’s navy in the area had been targeted.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump told Fox News that American fighter jets had been present in Iranian airspace and claimed that Iranian officials had contacted him directly to request a halt to the strikes. This claim was denied by an unnamed senior Islamic Republic official. State broadcaster IRIB, quoting the official, reported that “the claim that Iranian officials contacted Trump is a lie and was made to cover up America’s retreat.”

At the same time, the Islamic Republic’s armed forces announced retaliatory operations against American targets in the region. According to a statement, a facility linked to the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet in Bahrain and several American military bases in Kuwait were struck by drone and missile attacks.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed to have struck a total of 18 targets in Bahrain and Kuwait, including Patriot air defense systems. However, as of the time of publication, officials from Kuwait, Bahrain, and the U.S. military had not issued any official response to these claims.