Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched a strike against a US airbase on May 28, claiming it was direct retaliation for an American military operation near Bandar Abbas, the strategically critical port city sitting on the Strait of Hormuz. The IRGC said the attack occurred at approximately 4:50 a.m. local time.
The move marks a sharp escalation in a conflict that has been grinding since late February 2026.
What happened and why it matters
US forces carried out what they described as a defensive operation near Bandar Abbas, targeting Iranian drone launch sites that Washington said posed a threat to commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. This was the second US strike against Iranian targets within the same week.
Iran’s response was blunt. The IRGC struck a US airbase, though it did not publicly identify which installation was hit. Iranian state media, including Tasnim, framed the operation as a warning, stating it signaled a “more decisive response” to any further American aggression.
