Iran activated a military response after the United States attack on two Revolutionary Guard launchers located on Larak Island, near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, this Sunday.
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The Iranian offensive reportedly had as main targets facilities linked to U.S. forces in Jordan and other points in the Persian Gulf.
The first reports were released by IRIB News, the international service of the Iranian state radio and television, which reported explosions and warning sirens in various parts of the region after the Revolutionary Guard announced it would respond to the U.S. attack.
According to Arab sources cited by the Iranian media, Iranian missiles were launched towards the Al Aqaba area in southern Jordan, and against the Muwaffaq Salti airbase, located in the east of the country.
This last facility is used by U.S. forces and constitutes one of Washington’s main military support points on Jordanian territory.
Information about the attacks is developing and several of the initial reports released by Iranian and regional media had not yet been independently confirmed.
The offensive occurred hours after the Revolutionary Guard confirmed that the U.S. attack on Larak had caused casualties among its personnel and promised retaliation.
Reuters reported that the Iranian body announced it would respond to the attack and held the United States responsible for its consequences.
Washington, for its part, justified the operation by stating that its forces had detected two Iranian launchers being prepared to deploy rockets and naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz.
Larak is an Iranian island located in a particularly sensitive area for international maritime transit. It was the first direct attack by Washington on Iranian targets since late July.
Tehran’s response, if confirmed in its full magnitude, represents an immediate shift in the focus of the confrontation: from Iranian territory to U.S. facilities located in Washington’s allied countries.
IRIB also reported movements of U.S. refueling aircraft from bases located in the Persian Gulf. Among them, it mentioned a plane that reportedly left the Al Udeid airbase in Qatar.
The Iranian media also reported a supposed explosion at that facility, although this incident had not been officially confirmed at the time of the first reports.
Likewise, information circulated about alerts for possible missile attacks in the United Arab Emirates, accompanied by reports of explosions.
The possibility that U.S. military facilities will be attacked again is especially relevant because Washington maintains a large military presence in the region. In previous episodes of the conflict, Iran has directed attacks against U.S. bases or facilities associated with them in Jordan and other Gulf countries.
