TEHRAN, July 17 (Xinhua) -- The Iranian armed forces said Friday their forces have struck U.S. bases and facilities in Syria, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman in retaliation for fresh U.S. strikes on Iran and its infrastructure.
People attend the funeral procession of Iran's late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in Mashhad, Iran, July 9, 2026. (Photo: Xinhua)
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said in statements carried by its official news outlet Sepah News that its aerospace forces launched a surprise attack on a U.S. military center at Syria's al-Tanf base, killing a number of U.S. personnel and destroying a radar system and several helicopters used for special operations.
The IRGC said the attack was in response to what it called U.S. "malicious acts" and the recent killing of Iranian soldiers in the southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan.
The IRGC also said Iranian forces struck a U.S. base in Kuwait, targeting air defense radar systems, weapons depots and other military equipment, while naval forces hit U.S. radar facilities in Oman. The Iranian Army said it also carried out drone strikes against U.S. military facilities in Kuwait and Bahrain.
The IRGC warned that Iran's armed forces remain in full control of the Strait of Hormuz and that oil and gas exports from the region would not resume as long as the United States continued its "malice."
The U.S. Central Command said in a post on X early Friday that U.S. forces had completed another "major wave of strikes against Iran," hitting dozens of military targets, such as coastal surveillance sites, air defense systems, military logistics infrastructure and maritime capabilities.
The U.S. military said its recent strikes were aimed at "degrading Iran's ability to threaten commercial shipping" following Iranian attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran's Health Ministry said Friday that at least 38 people had been killed and more than 400 others wounded in U.S. strikes, mainly targeting southern Iranian provinces, since June 22.
Hossein Kermanpour, head of the ministry's public relations, said three women and one teenager were among those killed, while 22 women and nine people under the age of 18 were among the injured. He added that 47 of the wounded remain hospitalized.
Separately, Iran's semi-official Fars news agency reported that at least eight people were killed and 19 others wounded in U.S. strikes on the southern province of Hormozgan on Thursday night. Five bridges and a railway junction station were among the reported targets.
The latest escalation came despite a peace memorandum of understanding signed on June 18 under which the two countries were expected to hold negotiations within 60 days to seek a final agreement.