Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has launched a massive retaliatory assault targeting several United States military facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait. Alongside strikes on US-allied bases, the Iranian military claims to have neutralized radar systems in Oman and struck fuel tanks and ammunition depots at the Prince Hassan Air Base in Jordan.
According to reports from AFP and The Guardian on Monday, July 13, 2026, the current escalation was triggered by an earlier US airstrike that targeted hundreds of Iranian air defense positions, radar sites, and missile control centers. Tehran’s wave of counter-attacks immediately activated regional air defense networks. The Jordanian government confirmed it intercepted and downed four incoming missiles from Iranian territory, while Kuwaiti forces scrambled to repel foreign aerial targets in their airspace.
This armed conflict erupted despite an active 60-day emergency ceasefire brokered by both nations last month. The truce, originally intended to restore maritime trade routes and pave the way for diplomacy, now teeters on the brink of collapse due to a power struggle over the Strait of Hormuz. The narrow waterway, which channels a fifth of the world’s oil supply, has become the epicenter of the hostilities.
Washington maintained that it will continue utilizing military force to guarantee the Strait of Hormuz remains open to international commercial shipping. US Central Command (Centcom) firmly dismissed Tehran’s unilateral claim over the international shipping lane. “The Strait of Hormuz is a vital maritime corridor for global commerce. Iran does not control the region,” Centcom stated in an official release.
However, Iran’s military leadership flatly rejected the United States’ assertion. Mohsen Rezaee, a senior advisor to Iran’s Supreme Leader, stressed that the strategic waterway falls entirely under Iranian sovereignty, calling it far more valuable than dozens of atomic bombs. The deepening crisis is further compounded by threats to completely tear up the peace Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmail Baghaei stated during a press briefing that Tehran would cease honoring the terms of the agreement if the US continues to breach the ceasefire commitments. “Whenever the other side fails to meet its obligations, we will withhold compliance as well,” Baghaei declared.
