Iran warns US and Gulf nations they will 'face hell' amid escalating attacks

TEHRAN, IRAN: Iran issued a stark warning to the United States and Gulf nations early Sunday, June 28, threatening that American military bases across the region would "face hell" in the coming days after launching a wave of missile and drone strikes on US sites in Kuwait and Bahrain.

The threat came from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy Command, hours after the IRGC's naval and aerospace forces carried out a joint missile and drone operation against the Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait and the US. The IRGC said the attacks destroyed eight pieces of American military infrastructure and described the operation as a "decisive response" to renewed US strikes on Iranian territory.

Iran vows control of Hormuz will not weaken

In a strong-worded statement, Iran's IRGC Navy said US strikes on Sirik would not weaken its control over the Strait of Hormuz and warned that action against "violators" would reinforce safe passage rules.

It also threatened that US military bases across the region would experience "hell" in the coming days.

The IRGC also said the latest American strikes amounted to a breach of the ceasefire framework reached under the Islamabad memorandum of understanding two weeks ago, warning the violation "will result in the complete halt of all diplomatic processes." 

It further cautioned that any future attacks on Iran, regardless of scale, would be met with a "crushing response."

The exchange marks the most serious escalation since the US and Iran agreed to an interim ceasefire two weeks ago, ending four months of conflict. Each side has accused the other of violating that agreement in recent days.

Donald Trump warns Iran could 'cease to exist'

The Iranian strikes followed a second consecutive night of US attacks on Iranian targets, which US Central Command said were carried out in direct response to an Iranian drone strike on a Panama-flagged tanker in the Strait of Hormuz.

President Trump responded to the escalating exchange with his own warning, saying Iran could "cease to exist" if the US is forced to escalate further.

Kuwait's military said its air defense systems intercepted the incoming Iranian missiles and drones, while Bahrain's Ministry of Interior activated emergency sirens and urged residents to remain calm and seek shelter as the region braced for the possibility of further strikes.

The IRGC said the attacks were a response to US military operations carried out on Saturday against Iranian missile and drone storage facilities and coastal radar sites.

According to Iranian state-linked media, the Guard also accused Washington of attacking five Iranian coastal positions under the pretext of responding to an incident involving a vessel in the Strait of Hormuz.

In a strongly worded statement, the IRGC accused the United States of violating the ceasefire and warned that any breach of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding would bring all ongoing diplomatic processes to a complete halt.

It also warned that vessels it deemed to be in violation would face stronger action in the future and that any "enemy aggression" would receive a "crushing response."

Explosions were also reported in southern Iran, with Iranian media saying blasts were heard on Sirik Island near the Strait of Hormuz. Reports added that US projectiles also targeted a village on Qeshm Island.