WASHINGTON/TEHRAN, June 3 (Xinhua) -- U.S. forces carried out "self-defense" strikes on Iran's Qeshm Island in response to "attempted attacks by Iran across the Middle East" on Tuesday, U.S. Central Command said.
In this file photo dated April 13, 2026, damage, according to local witnesses caused by several airstrikes during the US-Israel military campaign, is seen on a fishing pier in the port of Qeshm island, Iran. (Photo: AP)
The U.S. military struck an Iranian military ground control station on Qeshm Island near the Strait of Hormuz, the command said on X, adding that no U.S. personnel were harmed.
"Iran launched several ballistic missiles toward regional neighbors; however, all failed to hit their intended targets," the command said on X.
"Two Iranian missiles fired at Kuwait fell short or broke apart en route, and three missiles launched at Bahrain were immediately intercepted by U.S. and Bahrain air defense forces," it said.
Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) said it hit the U.S. Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain with missiles and drones on Tuesday and fired at least 10 ballistic missiles at Kuwait on Tuesday.
The command swiftly denied the claims, stating that both waves of attacks have failed to impact the intended targets.
The IRGC said early Wednesday it has fired missiles and drones at a vessel linked to the United States and Israel and two U.S. bases in the region in response to attacks by the United States on an Iranian oil tanker and southern Qeshm Island.
In a statement released by its official outlet Sepah News, the IRGC said that the U.S. military hit an Iranian oil tanker near the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday night and damaged its engine room. The United States also struck a communications tower belonging to the IRGC on southern Qeshm Island, it said.
In response, the IRGC said that its naval forces struck a vessel identified as Panaya, which it described as being linked to the United States and Israel, with missiles. The IRGC also said its aerospace force launched missile and drone attacks against a U.S. air base and the headquarters of the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet in the region.