Iran launched what it described as a "swift and decisive" military response against the United States on Wednesday, targeting American military positions across the Persian Gulf with missiles and drones following what Tehran condemned as continued US aggression against the Islamic Republic.

According to Iranian state media, the operation targeted US military infrastructure and naval assets in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and Iraq, marking the first phase of what Iranian officials said would be a wider campaign if Washington continues its military actions.

State television reported that Iranian cruise missiles struck US naval assets stationed off the coast of Bahrain, claiming that an American destroyer and several US military vessels operating in the Gulf were hit during the operation. The reports could not be independently verified, and US authorities had not immediately commented on the claims.

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) and the Iranian Army also targeted what Tehran described as key US military infrastructure in Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar using a coordinated combination of ballistic missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles.

Iranian officials said the strikes were carefully planned and represented a measured response aimed exclusively at American military assets following recent US attacks on Iranian territory.

Regional military alert follows Iranian operation

As the operation unfolded, reports emerged of heightened military activity across the region.

Iranian state television reported powerful explosions in eastern Jordan, including areas near industrial facilities. Jordanian authorities later confirmed that air raid sirens had sounded after Iranian missiles entered the country's airspace, while the US Embassy in Amman issued a security alert urging American citizens to seek shelter because of ongoing missile and drone activity.

Iranian news agency Tasnim also reported that warning sirens were activated at the US-operated Victoria military base near Baghdad and the Al-Harir Air Base in Iraq's Kurdistan Region.

Additional explosions were reported near Kuwait's Ali Al-Salem Air Base and in port facilities, while blasts were also reported in Jordan's Zarqa region as regional air defense systems responded to the unfolding situation.

Meanwhile, Iraqi security sources cited by international media reported that a drone strike targeted a camp belonging to an Iranian Kurdish separatist group in Erbil.

Tehran warns US against further escalation

Senior Iranian officials stressed that the military operation was a direct response to Washington's actions and warned that any further attacks on Iran would trigger a broader regional response.

Alaeddin Boroujerdi, a member of the Iranian Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, said Iran would not alter its strategic course under American pressure.

"Trump must understand that any action outside this context will only ignite tensions in the region," Boroujerdi said, adding that military threats and coercion would fail to force Tehran to abandon its principles.

He warned that continued US attacks would prompt Iran to expand its operations against a wider range of American interests across the region, while resistance movements allied with Tehran would also intensify operations against what he described as Washington's "illegitimate presence."

Boroujerdi called on the United States to abandon what he described as its reliance on military force, warning that continued aggression would impose heavy costs on Washington and ultimately end in failure.

Iran asserts control over Strait of Hormuz

Amid the heightened tensions, Iranian state television reported that the IRGC Navy instructed international commercial vessels to transit through routes designated by Iranian maritime authorities in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz.

The announcement underscored Tehran's insistence that it remains responsible for safeguarding navigation through one of the world's most strategically important waterways, through which a significant share of global oil and liquefied natural gas exports passes.

Separately, Iranian officials reported that US projectiles struck several locations in Bushehr Province, including areas surrounding the outer perimeter of the Bushehr nuclear facility. Provincial authorities said the attacks caused damage in the vicinity of the site, although no major damage to the nuclear installation itself was reported.

Iranian media also rejected social media reports claiming unrest in the southern city of Shiraz, with Mehr News Agency dismissing the allegations as "psychological warfare" intended to spread panic among the population.

The latest exchange marks one of the most serious military confrontations between Iran and the United States in recent years, significantly raising tensions across the Middle East and fueling concerns over the possibility of a broader regional conflict. Iranian officials have reiterated that while Tehran does not seek war, it will continue to respond forcefully to what it describes as violations of its sovereignty and aggression against its territory. (ILKHA)