Tehran, July 12 (IANS) Iran has launched a series of strikes on US targets in the Middle East, Press TV reported on Sunday.
Missile alert sirens sounded in Bahrain as the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar also came under attack, reports said.
The UAE Defence Ministry said Sunday that its air defence systems were engaging missile and drone threats, while Bahrain’s Interior Ministry urged residents to remain calm and proceed to the nearest safe location.
According to Press TV reports, the US targets hit in the latest Iranian strikes included a Patriot air defense system, an ammunition depot and a US military radar facility in Kuwait.
In response to US attacks, Iran also targeted a US military communications facility and a radar facility in Bahrain, and launched a ballistic missile strike against the US airbase of Al Udeid in Qatar, according to the reports.
Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps said Sunday that its aerospace forces had carried out a heavy attack on US aircraft carrier support and refueling facilities at Oman’s Port of Duqm, adding that the operation targeted logistical support centers for US naval vessels.
Earlier, US launched a third round of strikes against Iran after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps attacked a Cyprus-flagged container ship in the Strait of Hormuz, the US military said.
US Central Command said its forces began the strikes at 7:15 p.m. Eastern Time (4.45 am Sunday Indian time). It said the operation was ordered by President Donald Trump in his capacity as commander in chief.
The latest military action followed an attack on the M/V GFS Galaxy, a commercial container ship sailing through the strategic waterway.
“At 7:15 p.m. ET today, US Central Command forces began launching the third round of strikes this week against Iran after Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces blatantly attacked M/V GFS Galaxy, a Cyprus-flagged container ship transiting the Strait of Hormuz,” CENTCOM said in a statement.
The command did not immediately identify the locations struck or provide details about the targets. It also did not say which weapons were being used in the operation.
A civilian crew member remained missing after the attack on the vessel, according to CENTCOM.
–IANS
int/rs
