Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps fired ballistic missiles at US military bases in Kuwait and Bahrain on June 6, marking a dramatic escalation in a Persian Gulf conflict that has been simmering for weeks. The IRGC said the strikes were a direct response to American military operations targeting Iranian infrastructure on Sirik Island and Qeshm Island.
The exchange of fire happened despite a ceasefire that has technically been in place since April 8. Both sides have accused each other of violating it.
What happened and how we got here
US Central Command conducted military operations between June 1 and June 6, describing them as self-defense measures. Those strikes targeted Iranian command-and-control facilities, radar installations, and drone-related sites in Goruk and Qeshm. The catalyst: Iran had downed a US drone over Iranian territory, and Washington decided that warranted a kinetic response.
The IRGC’s Aerospace Force then answered with ballistic missiles aimed at US-linked facilities in Kuwait and the US fleet stationed in Bahrain. Kuwaiti air defenses intercepted seven of the incoming ballistic missiles, and reports indicate minimal damage to US installations.
