# [FLASH] IRGC Claims Missile and Drone Strikes on US Bases in Kuwait and Bahrain *Sunday, June 28, 2026 at 3:08 AM UTC — Hamer Intelligence Services Desk* **Detected**: 2026-06-28T03:08:38.354Z (4h ago) **Tags**: Iran, United States, Kuwait, Bahrain, Gulf, Missiles, Drones, USMilitary **Sources**: OSINT **Permalink**: https://hamerintel.com/data/alerts/12256.md **Source**: https://hamerintel.com/summaries --- **Summary**: Iran’s Revolutionary Guard says it hit US forces at Ali Al Salem air base in Kuwait and the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain around 02:56 UTC using ballistic missiles and drones, framing the attack as retaliation for earlier US strikes on Iranian coastal positions. The move drags two key Gulf host nations directly into the line of fire, elevating risk to US basing, tanker protection and regional energy infrastructure. ## Detail Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has issued a formal statement confirming that it launched ballistic missiles and drones at US forces stationed at Ali Al Salem air base in Kuwait and the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet in Bahrain at roughly 02:56 UTC. The IRGC characterizes the operation as a response to US strikes on five Iranian coastal positions, framing it as a tit-for-tat but crossing a major threshold by explicitly targeting US assets deep inside two small but strategically critical Gulf monarchies. Confirmed details so far are limited to Iranian claims: the IRGC says it used a mix of ballistic missiles and unmanned systems against two US facilities – Ali Al Salem, a backbone air hub for US and allied operations in the northern Gulf, and the Fifth Fleet headquarters area in Bahrain, which manages carrier strike groups, maritime security and tanker escort in the Gulf and Arabian Sea. There is no publicly available confirmation yet from US Central Command or Kuwaiti and Bahraini authorities on impact, damage or casualties. Nonetheless, the fact that Tehran has chosen to name these bases and asset types, and to officially claim responsibility, marks an unambiguous escalation from proxy and gray-zone attacks into direct, declared strikes on US forces. For people on the ground in Kuwait and Bahrain, this raises the prospect of air-raid alerts, base lockdowns and possible spillover into civilian airspace disruptions. US military families, expatriate workers, port workers and airline crews in both countries now face higher perceived physical and insurance risk. Port operators in Shuwaikh, Mina Al Ahmadi, and Bahrain’s Khalifa Bin Salman, as well as tanker owners calling at nearby oil and product terminals, must factor in the chance of follow-on strikes, misfires or intercept debris in dense maritime corridors. From a military and security perspective, targeting Ali Al Salem and the Fifth Fleet goes to the heart of US force projection and maritime control in the Gulf. Any damage or even temporary disruption at Ali Al Salem complicates air operations, logistics and ISR coverage near Iraq and Iran. A credible threat to the Fifth Fleet’s command infrastructure or key piers in Bahrain would force the US Navy to disperse assets, upgrade defensive postures and potentially revise where it embarks critical command-and-control nodes. Kuwait and Bahrain will be under intense domestic and regional pressure to balance continued hosting of US forces with managing public fears of being dragged into a direct Iran–US shooting war. Markets will trade this as a high-consequence Gulf security shock. Even without confirmed damage to energy infrastructure, the perception that missiles and drones are being exchanged in countries that anchor US maritime security coverage around the Strait of Hormuz will put a risk premium back into crude and product benchmarks. Brent and WTI are likely to gap higher on Monday’s open or in immediate electronic trading where open, with oil volatility and options skew rising. Tanker and LNG shipping equities, war-risk insurance premia, and CDS for Kuwait and Bahrain could widen. A bid for gold, the US dollar and other safe havens is likely, while regional equity markets in the GCC could see selling on fears of sustained conflict and tourism/travel disruption. Over the next 24–48 hours, the key variables to watch are: (1) US confirmation of impact, casualties and damage, and any visible changes in force protection posture at regional bases; (2) whether Washington opts for immediate retaliatory strikes inside Iran proper or confines response to coastal and proxy assets, which will signal how close this moves toward an open Iran–US war; (3) Kuwaiti and Bahraini political reactions – including any calls in parliament to review US basing agreements or tighten internal security; (4) evidence of disrupted port operations, tanker traffic pattern changes, or NOTAMs/airspace restrictions; and (5) Iranian messaging on whether this is framed as a limited retaliation or the opening of a broader campaign. Traders and policymakers should be prepared for headline-driven volatility, with particular focus on any mention of Hormuz, Saudi and Emirati export terminals, or additional attacks on US or allied naval assets. **MARKET IMPACT ASSESSMENT:** High immediate upside pressure on crude and refined products, safe-haven bid for gold and US Treasuries, potential risk-off move in global equities. Regional FX (Kuwaiti dinar, Bahraini dinar, other GCC currencies) and credit spreads could see stress depending on US/Iran follow-on actions and any sign of disruption near key oil export terminals or the Fifth Fleet’s operational posture.