Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched a coordinated series of ballistic missile and drone strikes against US military assets in Jordan, Kuwait, and Bahrain early on 20 July, claiming to have destroyed transport and command aircraft, drone hangars, and troop shelters. The IRGC said the attacks, the 21st wave of “Operation Nasr 2,” were enabled by intelligence provided by Jordanian citizens and troops, whom it publicly thanked for fulfilling a “religious duty.” The strikes reportedly killed two US service members and left one missing at Jordan’s Muwaffaq Salti airbase, according to US Central Command (CENTCOM), while Kuwaiti and Bahraini air defences were activated to intercept incoming projectiles.

Viewed from Tehran, the IRGC statements frame the operations as retaliation for what it describes as a “terrorist” US military campaign that has struck Iranian territory, including nuclear and naval sites, since late February. The IRGC declared American forces “liable to be killed” under religious law, citing US support for Israel’s war in Gaza. Washington, through CENTCOM, confirmed it had conducted strikes on Iranian command centres, air defences, and missile launch sites, stating the goal was to degrade Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. The US has not yet officially responded to the latest IRGC claims of damage.

Kuwait’s military said its air defence systems intercepted a hostile drone and attributed the explosions heard across the country to that engagement, while Bahrain’s interior ministry activated air raid sirens and urged residents to seek shelter. Jordan, a US ally that hosts American forces and has a peace treaty with Israel, finds itself in a particularly exposed position. Its armed forces have previously stated they intercepted missiles fired at the kingdom and would not permit their airspace to be used for strikes on Iran. The IRGC’s public praise for Jordanian cooperation, whether factual or an information operation, places additional domestic and regional pressure on Amman. In Iraq, the Iranian Kurdish opposition group Komala reported that a missile struck its headquarters in Erbil, adding to over 90 attacks it says it has endured since the conflict began.

The escalation follows the collapse of a short-lived truce brokered by Pakistan in June. President Donald Trump declared the ceasefire over on 8 July after an Iranian attack on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, triggering a new cycle of US strikes on southern Iran and Iranian reprisals against American bases in at least five countries. Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has called on neighbouring states to expel US forces to avoid being caught in the crossfire. With no diplomatic channel currently active and both sides demonstrating the capacity to hit each other’s military infrastructure, the conflict risks further drawing in Gulf states whose airspace and bases have become an active battleground. Independent verification of the damage claims remains unavailable, and the next steps are likely to be determined by Washington’s military response and any renewed mediation efforts.