Tensions escalate as US strikes on Iranian radar sites after drone attacks
Why this matters: local context for readers following news across Pakistan and the region.
TEHRAN – The United States and Iran have exchanged airstrikes near the Strait of Hormuz, further increasing tensions in the region. In a statement, US Central Command claimed its forces intercepted multiple Iranian ballistic missiles and drones launched by Iran toward the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf neighbors, June 5. Iran fired seven ballistic missiles toward Kuwait and Bahrain hours after U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) shot down four Iranian one-way attack drones that were launched toward the Strait of Hormuz. The attack drones posed an immediate threat to regional maritime traffic. “US forces subsequently struck Iranian coastal surveillance radar sites in Goruk and on Qeshm Island to defend against further maritime attacks,” read the statement. Initial assessments indicate six of the missiles launched by Iran were intercepted and a seventh did not reach its intended target. There are currently no reports of harm to US personnel, and Iranian claims of damaging U.S. 5th fleet headquarters in Bahrain are false. CENTCOM forces remain vigilant and postured to continue responding to unwarranted Iranian aggression in self-defense, it added. Iranian media, meanwhile, reported that warning shots were fired near US naval vessels operating close to the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it had targeted American military bases in the region in response to the reported US strikes. The IRGC also claimed that it fired on four tankers that were allegedly attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz without authorization. Iranian officials warned that continued US military actions could lead to the complete closure of the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important energy shipping routes. The IRGC said that responsibility for any such closure would rest with the United States. Separately, Mohsen Rezaei, an adviser to Iran’s supreme leadership, said in an interview with a US broadcaster that negotiations between Tehran and Washington cou