# [WARNING] Reports: Iran Launches Missiles and Drones in Retaliation for U.S. Strikes

*Tuesday, June 9, 2026 at 11:07 PM UTC — Hamer Intelligence Services Desk*

**Detected**: 2026-06-09T23:07:35.087Z (8h ago)
**Tags**: Iran, United States, Iraq, Kurdistan, Kuwait, Missiles, Drones, Hormuz
**Sources**: OSINT
**Permalink**: https://hamerintel.com/data/alerts/9723.md
**Source**: https://hamerintel.com/summaries

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**Summary**: Open‑source reporting at 23:00–23:02 UTC points to Iranian IRGC missile and drone launches against Kurdish positions in northern Iraq, with additional unconfirmed footage of drones heading toward Kuwait. A direct Iranian kinetic response broadens the risk envelope from the Strait of Hormuz into Iraqi and possibly Kuwaiti airspace, increasing threat levels for U.S. forces, regional partners, and critical energy infrastructure.

## Detail

Iran appears to have moved from threats to action less than an hour after U.S. forces hit Iranian air defenses and naval targets along the southern coast. Between 23:00 and 23:02 UTC on 9 June, multiple OSINT feeds reported that the IRGC launched at least two Fath‑360 short‑range ballistic missiles and several drones toward Kurdish positions in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, explicitly framed as retaliation for the U.S. strikes. A separate feed cited IRGC use of Shahed‑136 loitering munitions and “at least a couple” short‑/medium‑range ballistic missiles in a retaliatory strike, while another post circulated unconfirmed imagery of drones moving toward Kuwait.

Confirmed elements so far: U.S. officials told Fox News and CNN earlier (around 22:00–22:08 UTC) that ongoing U.S. airstrikes were targeting Iranian air defenses and radar installations in southern Iran, including around Bandar Abbas, Minab, Sirik, Jask, Qeshm, and Mobarakeh Mountain in Hormozgan Province. A U.S. official described these as a ‘warning shot’ not intended to derail negotiations. Iranian state-linked outlets and officials then vowed a “decisive” response. Around 23:00 UTC, Kurdish sources reported two probable Fath‑360 SRBMs and multiple drones launched toward Iraqi Kurdistan, with an Al‑Mayadeen correspondent separately noting explosions in Dohuk province in northern Iraq at 22:32 UTC. Another OSINT channel at 23:02 UTC described a broader IRGC missile/drone retaliation, though target sets and impact assessments remain unclear.

The immediate human and operational stakes are in northern Iraq, where Kurdish civilian areas and political/militia targets have historically been struck in Iranian cross‑border attacks. Any confirmed use of ballistic missiles against territory hosting U.S. and coalition forces will trigger urgent force protection measures and could cause casualties among Kurdish civilians or security forces. Unconfirmed reports of drones moving toward Kuwait raise concerns for commercial air traffic, port operations, and U.S. basing in that country, even before any impacts are verified. In southern Iran, earlier U.S. strikes reportedly hit water tanks in Sirik’s Bemani district, cutting drinking water to local residents and signaling that even non‑military infrastructure can be degraded in the current exchange.

Militarily, Iran’s choice to respond with named SRBMs and Shahed drones indicates an intention to re‑establish deterrence after U.S. strikes on its air defense network near Hormuz. Striking in Iraqi Kurdistan allows Tehran to punish perceived proxies and signal resolve without immediately targeting Gulf shipping or U.S. assets in the strait itself. But the appearance of drones allegedly heading toward Kuwait, if confirmed, would mark a geographic widening of the battlespace and increase the probability of miscalculation involving another U.S. host nation. Any IRGC strike that lands near U.S. forces in Iraq or Kuwait will put Washington under pressure to consider follow‑on action, potentially setting up an escalation ladder beyond the ‘limited’ exchange that U.S. officials have advertised.

Markets now have to price not just the direct risk to the Strait of Hormuz but a more diffuse arc of vulnerability stretching from southern Iran through Iraqi Kurdistan to Kuwait and possibly Bahrain, where explosions were reported earlier at 22:27 UTC. Crude prices are likely to find upside support as traders reassess the probability of sustained disruption or higher war premiums on Gulf exports, while shipping insurers will be forced to revisit rates for voyages not only through Hormuz but into northern Gulf ports. Airlines with routings over Iraq and Kuwait may face higher risk assessments or reroutings, adding cost. Safe‑haven flows into gold and the U.S. dollar are probable as long as Iranian ballistic and drone activity is ongoing or anticipated.

Over the next 24–48 hours, key watch points include: (1) independent confirmation of where the reported Fath‑360 missiles and drones impacted in Iraqi Kurdistan, and any casualty or damage data; (2) validation or refutation of the claimed drone tracks toward Kuwait and any Kuwaiti or U.S. air defense engagements; (3) U.S. and Iranian political signaling—whether Washington characterizes these strikes as bounded tit‑for‑tat or as grounds for additional operations; and (4) any signs that Iranian retaliation shifts target sets toward Gulf oil, gas, or port infrastructure. A move from peripheral Kurdish targets to direct strikes that threaten Gulf export terminals or U.S. bases would move this crisis from a regional flare‑up into a sustained energy and security shock.

**MARKET IMPACT ASSESSMENT:**
Heightened upside risk for crude and refined products as traders reassess escalation odds around Hormuz and now northern Iraq/Kuwait airspace; likely safe‑haven support for gold and dollar, pressure on EM FX with Gulf and Iraq exposure, and volatility for defense, airlines, and shipping equities.