Iran struck US military installations in Bahrain and Kuwait in the early hours of Thursday, according to state and state-affiliated Iranian media, as Tehran's armed forces vowed a "crushing response" to renewed American strikes on southern Iran.
Footage shared by the Russian state-affiliated outlet RT showed thick smoke rising over what it described as the US Navy's Fifth Fleet base in Bahrain, with the American flag and a fortified compound visible in a separate daytime image, amid what the channel said were reports of Iranian missile strikes and explosions in the vicinity.
HEAVY SMOKE RISES above US Navy 5TH FLEET BASE in BAHRAIN following reports of IRANIAN MISSILE STRIKES & EXPLOSIONS in vicinity pic.twitter.com/X17JZNteFu
— RT Intl (@RT_on_X) July 9, 2026
Iran's state broadcaster IRIB, meanwhile, released footage it said showed Iranian ballistic missile launches towards American bases in West Asia, with the visuals showing only a handful of faint lights against a dark sky.
Footage of Iranian ballistic missile launches towards the U.S. bases in West Asia. pic.twitter.com/xsTS9Y6UGI
— IRIB (Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting) (@iribnews_irib) July 9, 2026
State-affiliated Press TV separately said a fire had broken out at the Fifth Fleet headquarters following what it called Iranian retaliatory strikes, sharing an image of a distant, illuminated structure at night.
???? Fire breaks out at the US Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain after Iranian retaliatory strikes.
— Press TV ???? (@PressTV) July 9, 2026
Follow: https://t.co/mLGcUTS2ei pic.twitter.com/TYbIxzCXKy
Press TV also reported in a further post that a US military base in Kuwait had also come under Iranian fire, with an accompanying clip showing a faint orange glow on the horizon.
US military base in Kuwait comes under Iranian strikes
— Press TV ???? (@PressTV) July 9, 2026
Follow: https://t.co/mLGcUTS2ei pic.twitter.com/uLfcPqifEB
None of the footage from these outlets could be independently verified.
The strikes followed a statement from Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya Central Command, carried by the semi-official Mehr News Agency, which vowed retaliation over what it called a "terrorist" US strike on southern Iran carried out while Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's body was being received by mourners in Najaf.
The command said the funeral turnout marked the "most unprecedented event and popular presence" in history, adding that Iran's armed forces would deliver a "crushing response to America's aggression and terrorist act" and would allow no interference in the management of the Strait of Hormuz.
The exchange marks a sharp escalation just a day after the collapse of a US-Iran ceasefire, which had been in place since a memorandum of understanding was reached last month, following Iranian attacks on commercial vessels in the strait and subsequent American strikes on Iranian military sites.
ALSO READ: Explosions In Chabahar, Bushehr As US Launches Fresh Iran Strikes Amid Hormuz Tensions — Videos
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