U.S. forces struck missile storage, drone sites, and coastal radar installations in southern Iran overnight, CENTCOM said, retaliating for an Iranian drone attack on a cargo vessel in the Strait of Hormuz. The IRGC said it struck American positions in response but gave no details.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed early Saturday that it had struck American positions in the region in retaliation for U.S. strikes on southern Iran overnight. The IRGC provided no details on targets or damage, and no independent confirmation of the reported attacks was available as of 07:17 Jerusalem. The claim marks the latest development in a rapidly escalating direct exchange between Washington and Tehran that began Friday night.
As The Zioneer reported Friday at 23:39 Jerusalem, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed that American aircraft struck Iranian missile storage, drone sites, and coastal radar installations in southern Iran. That operation was itself a retaliation for an Iranian drone attack on the Singapore-flagged cargo vessel M/V Ever Lovely in the Strait of Hormuz earlier this week. By the same timestamp, the initial version of the story had already been filed, and a second version added a reference to President Trump's characterization of the Iranian drone strike as a 'foolish violation' of the ceasefire. Across these first three versions, the U.S. account remained consistent and on the record; the IRGC's counter-claim, reported now, is the first retaliatory assertion from the Iranian side.
As The Zioneer reported on June 10, the current escalation follows a broader pattern of U.S.-Iran military friction near the Strait of Hormuz, including earlier retaliatory strikes after a helicopter downing and Iranian missile and drone salvos at American bases across the Middle East. The present chain of events — Iranian drone strike on a commercial ship, U.S. retaliation, IRGC counter-claim — represents the most significant direct U.S.-Iran military exchange in months.
The IRGC's claim of retaliatory strikes remains unverified. No details on the nature, location, or effect of any such strikes have been provided, and no U.S. official has confirmed any attack on American positions. The extent of damage from the U.S. strikes on Iranian facilities also remains unclear pending independent reporting.
5 developments
- DevelopingReport: Second wave of US strikes hits southern Iran as new explosions heard
- DevelopingSeveral explosions heard across southern Iran — unverified reports suggest US response
- DevelopingIranian opposition source releases new footage of US strike in Fashvayeh
- ConfirmedState TV says calm returning to southern Iran after US strikes
Source and signal
- Internal intake