Iran hits bases in Bahrain, Kuwait; IRGC HQ ‘destroyed’ by Israel

After launching a new wave of strikes on Tehran on Sunday evening, Israel also launched strikes across Lebanon after intercepting projectiles launched by Hezbollah early Monday morning. This could be the first sign of Hezbollah, long one of Tehran’s principal allies in the Middle East, entering the conflict. A military statement said that “in response to Hezbollah’s projectile fire toward the State of Israel”, Israeli forces had “begun striking targets of the Hezbollah terrorist organisation across Lebanon”.

Iran continues to respond to Israel’s military offensive with more missile barrages, a day after the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei deepened uncertainty across the Middle East and the global economy. US and Israeli strikes and Iranian retaliation sent shockwaves worldwide through sectors from shipping to air travel to oil, amid warnings of rising energy costs and business disruption in the Gulf region.

IRGC HQ 'destroyed'
The US military on Sunday said it had destroyed the headquarters of Iran’s powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, as the campaign against Tehran intensified. US Central Command (CENTCOM) claimed the strike dealt a major blow to the IRGC, which Washington accuses of killing more than 1,000 Americans over the past four decades. “America has the most powerful military on earth, and the IRGC no longer has a headquarters,” the command said, adding that the operation had “cut off the head of the snake.”

Meanwhile, the Israeli military said it had delivered a “severe blow” to Iran’s command-and-control network through a fresh wave of strikes in the Tehran area. It said dozens of military sites were hit, including IRGC headquarters, intelligence facilities, IRGC Air Force command centres and internal security bases. The air force also carried out more than 30 strikes on Iran’s ballistic missile and air defence systems, with military spokesman Effie Defrin saying over 100 fighter jets were involved in the latest assault.

Iran hits back
As Iran launched renewed missile barrages across the region, air raid sirens sounded across Israel late Sunday, warning of incoming attacks, including in Tel Aviv, where projectiles streaked across the night sky. Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Sunday they had hit three US and UK oil tankers in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, and attacked military bases in Kuwait and Bahrain with drones and missiles. Shipping data showed hundreds of vessels, including oil and gas tankers, dropping anchor in nearby waters, with traders expecting sharp jumps in crude oil prices on Monday.

Projectiles launched from Lebanon triggered sirens in several areas of northern Israel early Monday. Lebanon’s presidency said Saturday it had been told by the US ambassador that Israel would not escalate against Lebanon as long as there were no hostile acts from the Lebanese side. Israel’s ambulance service said nine people were killed in the town of Beit Shemesh, while the United Arab Emirates said Iranian attacks killed three people and Kuwait reported one death.

Inside Iran, some mourned Khamenei while others celebrated his death, exposing deep divisions in the country. Thousands of Iranians were killed in a crackdown authorised by Khamenei against anti-government protests in January, the deadliest unrest since the Islamic Revolution of 1979. Khamenei, who built Iran into a powerful anti-US force and expanded its influence across the Middle East during his 36-year rule, was working in his office at the time of Saturday’s attack, state media said. The strike also killed his daughter, grandchild, daughter-in-law and son-in-law.

Experts said that while his death and those of other Iranian leaders would deal Iran a major blow, it would not necessarily end the country’s entrenched clerical rule or the dominance of the elite Revolutionary Guards.

Existential challenge for Iran
The Israeli military said late Sunday its air force had established aerial superiority over Tehran and that strikes across the capital targeted intelligence, security and military command centres.

However, potential Hezbollah involvement threatened to widen the conflict further. Israel and Lebanon had agreed to a US-brokered ceasefire in 2024.

Israel’s current focus is to undermine the Iranian government so that it collapses, an Israeli official said on condition of anonymity, adding that Israel “is acting in its own ways” to encourage Iranians to take to the streets.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said Sunday they struck three US and UK oil tankers in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, and attacked military bases in Kuwait and Bahrain with drones and missiles. Shipping data showed hundreds of vessels, including oil and gas tankers, dropping anchor in nearby waters as traders anticipated sharp jumps in crude prices.

In Iran, facing its most serious challenge since the 1980-88 war with Iraq, President Masoud Pezeshkian said a leadership council comprising himself, the judiciary chief and a member of the powerful Guardian Council had temporarily assumed the duties of Supreme Leader.

Oman’s foreign ministry said Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi indicated Tehran was open to de-escalation. But in a post on X, Araqchi suggested Iran was ready to continue fighting.

“We’ve had two decades to study defeats of the US military to our immediate east and west,” he wrote. “Bombings in our capital have no impact on our ability to conduct war.”

It remains unclear how Iran will rebuild its leadership and replace the 86-year-old Khamenei, who had held power since the death of Islamic Republic founder Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989.

Russian President Vladimir Putin denounced Khamenei’s death as a cynical murder, while China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi called it “blatant killing”.

Strikes to continue till our objectives are achieved: Trump
US President Donald Trump said the attack was intended to ensure Iran could not obtain a nuclear weapon, contain its missile programme and eliminate threats to the United States and its allies. US Central Command said more than 1,000 Iranian targets have been hit since the campaign began.

In a video posted on his Truth Social site, Trump vowed military strikes would continue until “all our objectives are achieved.” He said the assault had wiped out Iran’s military command and destroyed nine Iranian navy ships and a naval building.

Trump said Iranian military and police should lay down their arms, promising immunity for those who surrender and threatening “certain death” for those who resist. He reiterated calls for the Iranian people to revolt against the government.

“I call upon all Iranian patriots who yearn for freedom to seize this moment, to be brave, be bold, be heroic and take back your country,” Trump said in the pre-recorded video. “America is with you.”

Earlier, in an interview with The Atlantic, Trump said Iran’s leadership wanted to talk to him and he had agreed.

In a separate interview with the Daily Mail, he said the military campaign against Iran could continue for the next four weeks. However, the Republican president has yet to lay out longer-term aims in Iran, which now faces a power vacuum that could leave it in chaos with unforeseeable regional consequences. The first US casualties of the campaign, including three service personnel, were confirmed on Sunday.

Trump paid tribute to the dead as “true American patriots” but warned more casualties were likely.

“That’s the way it is,” he said. With the vital Strait of Hormuz closed and Gulf cities such as Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha under bombardment, the scale of the risk taken by Trump in attacking Iran months before US midterm elections is becoming clearer.

Only around one in four Americans approve of the operation, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll on Sunday. If Hormuz, the passage for about 20% of world oil supplies, remains closed for more than a few days, US consumers could soon feel the pressure at fuel pumps.
(With inputs from Reuters and AFP)