US Central Command launched another round of strikes against Iran over the weekend and abused the English language by calling it “self defense.”
“U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) conducted self-defense strikes on Iranian radar and command and control sites for drones in Goruk, Iran and Qeshm Island this weekend,” Centcom said in a statement dated May 31. “The measured and deliberate strikes occurred on Saturday and Sunday in response to aggressive Iranian actions that included the shootdown of a U.S. MQ-1 drone that was operating over international waters"–The Iranians said the drone was operating operating in Iranian airspace. “U.S. fighter aircraft swiftly responded by eliminating Iranian air defenses, a ground control station, and two one-way attack drones that posed clear threats to ships transiting regional waters.”
Iran retaliated in response. “ Iran’s IRGC Aerospace Force has struck and destroyed the air base from which the US forces launched an attack on a telecommunications tower on Sirik Island in Hormozgan Province,” reported Mehr News. “In a statement from its public relations office, the IRGC said that hours after the US military struck the communications tower on Sirik Island, IRGC Aerospace Force fighters targeted the originating base and completed the operation successfully.” The IRGC later identified the base as Ali Salem Airbase in Kuwait.
“The IRGC Aerospace Force then issued a direct warning: if the aggression is repeated, the response will be completely different in scale and nature, and full responsibility for any such escalation will rest with the United States,” Mehr News concluded.
This was the third such exchange of fire in about a week. Bloomberg reported on Saturday that Iranian retaliation in response to an earlier US attack caused damage to the Ali Salem air base. “An Iranian ballistic missile strike on a Kuwaiti air base within the past 24 hours caused minor injuries to several Americans and seriously damaged two MQ-9 Reaper strike drones, according to a person with direct knowledge of the attack,” it said. “The missile was intercepted but falling debris hurt about five people including contractors and active duty personnel, the person said. One Reaper was destroyed and at least one other was seriously damaged. The drones cost about $30 million each.” Centcom has not confirmed the Bloomberg report.
