The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) on Tuesday, 14 July claimed to have struck multiple US military facilities across Bahrain and Jordan, including the headquarters of the US Fifth Fleet, a Patriot radar system, and an American airbase in Jordan, according to local media reports citing IRGC statements. The strikes mark a sharp escalation in direct military confrontation between Iran and the United States.

What the IRGC Claims to Have Hit

According to statements attributed to the IRGC, its Navy targeted several weapons support depots, a satellite communications centre, troop accommodation, and multiple military radar systems in Bahrain, as reported by Press TV. The IRGC's Aerospace Force separately claimed to have conducted 'coordinated missile and drone strikes' against the Fifth Fleet's headquarters, setting its fuel storage facilities 'ablaze.'

The Corps further claimed it 'struck and destroyed a Patriot radar system, the Fifth Fleet's air-control radar, and a C-RAM early warning radar system.' A separate IRGC statement said a 'key facility' at a Jordanian airbase used by American forces was hit by a ballistic missile. The IRGC characterised the Jordan strike as a reprisal, stating the base 'had been used to launch attacks against us,' and explicitly clarified that the action was not directed against the Jordanian nation.

US Strikes on Iran Continue

The IRGC's claimed strikes came as the US Central Command confirmed it had launched yet another round of strikes against Iran on Monday (US time). 'At 4:45 p.m. ET, US Central Command began launching the third consecutive night of strikes against Iran, at the Commander in Chief's direction,' the command said in a statement.

US President Donald Trump, speaking at the White House on Monday, said: 'We're going to hit them very hard tonight, and we're going to hit them hard tomorrow.' The remarks signal no immediate de-escalation from the American side.

Trump's Demand: Gulf Nations Must Pay

Separately, Trump used the occasion to press wealthy Gulf nations to financially reimburse the United States for its military presence in the region. 'I want to be reimbursed because we're protecting a very rich portion of the world,' Trump told reporters at the White House. He argued that Washington was bearing the cost of defending regional partners despite the US no longer being dependent on Middle Eastern oil.

Context and What Comes Next

The mutual exchange of strikes represents a significant departure from the pattern of proxy confrontations that has defined US-Iran tensions for decades. Direct IRGC claims of hitting Fifth Fleet infrastructure — one of the most strategically sensitive US military commands in the world — would, if verified, constitute one of the most serious military incidents in the Gulf in recent memory. Independent verification of the IRGC's claims has not been established; the claims originate from Iranian state-linked media. The situation remains fluid, with both sides signalling continued military action.