An IRGC-affiliated Telegram channel is claiming a large-scale missile and drone assault on US military bases across Persian Gulf nations, including the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain and Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait. The US military has disputed the scope of the claims, particularly regarding casualty figures.
The reports, which have not been independently verified, allege strikes on approximately 85 US installations in a single operation.
What’s actually being claimed
The IRGC-linked channel frames the strikes as retaliatory, connected to the broader conflict that escalated following US-Israeli military actions in late February 2026. Specific targets named include the Fifth Fleet’s Bahrain headquarters, a nerve center for American naval operations across the Persian Gulf, Red Sea, and parts of the Indian Ocean.
Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait, a key logistics and air operations hub, is also cited as a target. US military sources have pushed back on claims about the scale of damage and American casualties.
