Iran strikes US Fifth Fleet headquarters, airbase in fresh flare-up

TEHRAN, Iran (MNTV) — Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Wednesday that it launched missile and drone strikes against the headquarters of the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet in Bahrain and an American airbase in the region, escalating tensions amid a fragile ceasefire and ongoing efforts to reach a permanent settlement between Tehran and Washington.

In a statement carried by Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency, the IRGC said the latest exchange began when U.S. forces struck an Iranian oil tanker near the Strait of Hormuz, damaging its engine room.

According to the IRGC, its naval forces responded by targeting a vessel identified as the Panaya, which it described as linked to the United States and Israel. The group said U.S. forces then struck an IRGC communications tower in the southern part of Qeshm Island.

The IRGC said its Aerospace Force subsequently launched missile and drone attacks against U.S. military targets, including an airbase, a helicopter facility in a regional country and the headquarters of the U.S. Fifth Fleet in Bahrain.

“We had previously warned that any act of aggression would be met with a different and heavier response,” the IRGC said, adding that disrupting security in the Strait of Hormuz would carry a “heavy price.”

The United States military said Wednesday that it had carried out “self-defense” strikes on Qeshm Island, while Iranian media reported explosions in the area.

The confrontation appeared to spread across the Gulf. Bahrain said its air defenses intercepted and destroyed three Iranian missiles and several drones targeting civilian sites, while warning sirens were activated across the kingdom.

Kuwait said its air defense systems intercepted incoming missiles and drones, while an attack on Kuwait International Airport caused injuries, significant damage and forced flights to be suspended or diverted, according to local authorities.

U.S. Central Command said it intercepted multiple Iranian missiles and drones and rejected Iranian claims that U.S. military facilities, including the Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain, had been successfully struck. CENTCOM also said all Iranian attacks on U.S. forces had failed.

Separately, CENTCOM said U.S. forces disabled an oil tanker bound for an Iranian port after its crew ignored repeated warnings and failed to comply with instructions from American forces in the Persian Gulf.

The latest escalation comes against the backdrop of a war launched by the United States and Israel against Iran in late February. Iranian officials say the country responded with more than 100 waves of aerial attacks against U.S. and Israeli targets across the region.

A ceasefire brokered by Islamabad took effect 40 days after the conflict began, and Tehran and Washington have since held intermittent negotiations aimed at reaching a permanent settlement.

Iranian leaders have repeatedly said they will not accept any agreement unless the country’s rights are guaranteed and have warned that any renewed military action would trigger a broader response across West Asia and beyond.

Despite the latest violence, U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that contacts with Iran continue on a daily basis and dismissed reports that negotiations had collapsed, urging Tehran to reach a deal after decades of hostility.

Iranian state media reported that direct message exchanges with Washington have paused in recent days, though officials continue to review the latest U.S. proposal amid uncertainty over the future of the talks.