Almost all US military bases hit by Iran: Is America unable to protect its assets in Middle-East?

NEW DELHI: Hours aft the sidesplitting of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei successful a sweeping US–Israel operation, Tehran launched what it described arsenic a wide retaliatory run targeting American and Israeli subject assets crossed the Middle East.Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed that each Israeli and US subject targets successful the portion had been struck “by the almighty blows of Iranian missiles”.

“This cognition volition proceed relentlessly until the force is decisively defeated,” the IRGC said, adding that each US assets passim the portion were present considered morganatic targets.The standard and geography of the attacks person triggered a pressing question: is the United States struggling to safeguard its subject footprint successful the Gulf, and are its layered aerial defence systems being stretched to their limits?

A multi-front retaliation crossed the Gulf

Iran’s retaliation was not confined to a azygous theatre. According to Iranian state-linked outlets and determination media, missiles and drones were launched towards US-linked assets successful Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Iraq’s Kurdish region.

In Abu Dhabi, astatine slightest 1 idiosyncratic was reported killed aft respective missiles launched from Iran were intercepted, according to the UAE’s authorities quality agency. A occurrence broke retired adjacent a edifice connected Dubai’s Palm Jumeirah aft what officials aboriginal described arsenic an “incident” successful a gathering that injured 4 people.Footage verified by BBC showed heavy fume rising from a luxury edifice successful Dubai, portion different videos captured large explosions and interceptions successful the skies implicit Doha and Manama.

In Bahrain, the authorities confirmed that a rocket onslaught targeted the office of the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet successful Manama. The kingdom described it arsenic a “treacherous attack” and “a blatant usurpation of the kingdom’s sovereignty and security”.Video circulating connected societal media appeared to amusement a drone striking a operation artifact adjacent the naval headquarters, mounting it ablaze. Bahrain’s Interior Ministry said respective residential buildings had been deed and civilian defence teams were engaged successful rescue and firefighting operations.

CENTCOM confirms US casualties

Amid the barrage of claims and counterclaims, US Central Command issued an update from Tampa, Florida.“As of 9:30 americium ET, March 1, 3 US work members person been killed successful enactment and 5 are earnestly wounded arsenic portion of Operation Epic Fury,” CENTCOM said.Several others sustained insignificant shrapnel injuries and concussions and were being returned to duty, it added, noting that large combat operations continued and the concern remained fluid.The confirmation of American fatalities marks a important escalation, raising the stakes for Washington and reinforcing concerns implicit the vulnerability of forward-deployed US forces.

Kuwait and Qatar: Bases nether fire

In Kuwait, the defence ministry said Ali al-Salem Air Base came nether onslaught by ballistic missiles, each of which were intercepted by Kuwaiti aerial defence systems. However, a drone targeted Kuwait International Airport, leaving employees with insignificant injuries and causing worldly damage.Kuwait’s Foreign Ministry said the state maintained its close to support itself.In Qatar, the defence ministry said it had “thwarted” attacks nether a “pre-approved information plan”, intercepting each missiles earlier they reached the country’s territory. Sources speaking to Al Jazeera reported that a long-range aboriginal informing radar successful bluish Qatar had been targeted.The Qatari overseas ministry called the onslaught “a flagrant usurpation of its nationalist sovereignty” and “an unacceptable escalation”, noting that Doha had sought to region itself from determination conflicts.

Saudi Arabia and Iraq drawn in

Saudi Arabia confirmed that Iran had targeted Riyadh and the kingdom’s eastbound region, adding that the attacks were repelled.“These attacks cannot beryllium justified nether immoderate pretext oregon successful immoderate way,” the Saudi overseas ministry said, stressing that the kingdom had antecedently confirmed it would not let its territory to beryllium utilized to people Iran.In Iraq, Erbil International Airport successful the Kurdish portion was reportedly targeted twice.

US aerial defences changeable down a drone adjacent a US subject basal adjacent to Erbil, according to Reuters. The Iraqi authorities aboriginal confirmed aerial strikes connected Jurf al-Nasr, a subject basal lodging Kataib Hezbollah elements integrated into the regular army.Kataib Hezbollah warned that it would soon statesman attacking American bases “in effect to their aggression”.

Iran claims onslaught connected USS Abraham Lincoln, US denies hit

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps escalated its rhetoric by claiming it had straight struck a large US naval plus successful the Gulf.“The US craft bearer Abraham Lincoln was struck by 4 ballistic missiles,” AFP quoted the Guards arsenic saying, arsenic Tehran sought to represent the onslaught arsenic a important stroke to American subject powerfulness successful the region.However, the United States swiftly rejected the claim.“Iran’s IRGC claims to person struck USS Abraham Lincoln with ballistic missiles. LIE. The Lincoln was not hit. The missiles launched didn’t adjacent travel close.

The Lincoln continues to motorboat craft successful enactment of CENTCOM’s relentless run to support the American radical by eliminating threats from the Iranian regime,” US Central Command said.Despite Washington’s denial, the IRGC maintained its hardline tone, informing that “the onshore and oversea volition progressively go the graveyard of the violent aggressors”.In a abstracted development, US Central Command said an Iranian Jamaran-class corvette was struck during the opening signifier of Operation Epic Fury and was sinking adjacent Chah Bahar successful the Gulf of Oman.The naval magnitude of the confrontation, involving craft carriers, destroyers and enactment vessels, has introduced a caller furniture of strategical hazard to an already volatile determination conflict, raising concerns astir further escalation astatine sea.

“Will support the gates of hellhole open”: Iran

Iran signalled that the run was acold from over. In what it called the 5th question of “Operation True Promise 4”, the IRGC said a vessel carrying ammunition for American vessels astatine Jebel Ali anchorage had been deed and “completely disabled”.It besides claimed that “The American naval basal successful the Abdullah Mubarak country of Kuwait was deed by 4 ballistic missiles and 12 drones, and each the infrastructure was destroyed, and a ample fig of American forces were killed and injured.”“The IRGC Navy, on with the aerial force, volition support the gates of hellhole unfastened to force units,” it added.Independent verification of the standard of harm remains limited, but the rhetoric underscores Tehran’s intent to broaden the battlefield.

US Air defence nether strain?

Across the region, Patriot systems and different rocket defence batteries were activated repeatedly. In Doha, Accroding to Al Jazeera witnesses reported proceeding astatine slightest a twelve explosions that sounded similar Patriot interceptors engaging incoming missiles.The United States maintains astir 13 subject bases crossed the Middle East, with betwixt 30,000 and 40,000 troops typically deployed.While galore missiles were intercepted, the sheer fig of launches and the geographic dispersed of targets person raised questions astir the sustainability of changeless high-alert operations and the strain connected interceptor inventories.Even palmy interceptions travel astatine a cost. Patriot missiles and different high-end interceptors are costly and finite, and saturation attacks tin trial the limits of layered defences.

Strait of Hormuz: A planetary chokepoint astatine risk

The struggle besides reverberated crossed planetary vigor markets. The UK Maritime Trade Operations bureau said vessels successful the Gulf had received warnings astir the imaginable closure of the Strait of Hormuz.Roughly 1 5th of the world’s lipid and state passes done the strait, making it 1 of the astir captious maritime chokepoints globally.

Any prolonged disruption could trigger crisp spikes successful lipid prices and destabilise planetary markets.

Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and the UAE temporarily closed their airspace, further signalling the severity of the escalation.

Iran’s diplomatic defence

Iran’s Deputy overseas curate Hamid Ghanbari told Al Jazeera that Tehran had the close to support itself and regretted immoderate humanitarian losses caused by the escalation.Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote to the UN Security Council and Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, stating that Iran would “continue ⁠to workout its close of ⁠self-defence decisively and without ⁠hesitation until ⁠the aggression ceases afloat and unequivocally”.Araghchi aboriginal said the sidesplitting of Khamenei was “a precise superior and unprecedented enactment and a blatant usurpation of planetary law”, adding: “We person nary restrictions oregon limits successful defending ourselves.”He confirmed that a Transitional Council had been established to negociate affairs pursuing the enactment vacuum.