US downs Iranian ballistic missiles and drones
The U.S. intercepted six Iranian ballistic missiles headed toward Kuwait and Bahrain just hours after downing four Iranian one-way drones launched toward the Strait of Hormuz, amid a fragile ceasefire. CENTCOM said the drones threatened regional maritime traffic and that U.S. forces struck Iranian coastal surveillance radar sites in Goruk and on Qeshm island to prevent further attacks. U.S. officials reported that six missiles were intercepted and a seventh did not reach its target, with no injuries to U.S.personnel; they also rejected Iranian claims that U.S. forces damaged Bahrain’s 5th Fleet headquarters.
The renewed Iranian attack comes days before the ceasefire reaches two months since it began on April 8. While the Trump management says the ceasefire is still holding and negotiations continue, there have been multiple incidents of aggression. The article also notes that U.S. military actions are being contested politically: the House recently passed a resolution limiting use of force against Iran without explicit congressional authorization,and President Trump indicated that if Iran attacked U.S. troops, the U.S. would quickly resume strikes.
The U.S. military intercepted six Iranian ballistic missiles headed toward Kuwait and Bahrain, hours after shooting down four drones launched toward the Strait of Hormuz on Friday evening, the latest altercation despite a fragile ceasefire.
“Iran fired seven ballistic missiles toward Kuwait and Bahrain hours after U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) shot down four Iranian one-way attack drones that were launched toward the Strait of Hormuz,” CENTCOM said in a statement. “The attack drones posed an immediate threat to regional maritime traffic. U.S. forces subsequently struck Iranian coastal surveillance radar sites in Goruk and on Qeshm Island to defend against further maritime attacks.
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“Initial assessments indicate six of the missiles launched by Iran were intercepted and a seventh did not reach its intended target. There are currently no reports of harm to U.S. personnel, and Iranian claims of damaging U.S. 5th fleet headquarters in Bahrain are false.”
Earlier, CENTCOM said the attack drones “posed an immediate threat to regional maritime traffic.”
TRUMP SAYS IRAN MAINTAINS ‘21-22%’ OF ITS MISSILES
The Iranian attack comes just days before the countries reach the two-month marker since the April 8 ceasefire went into effect.
This week has seen multiple incidents of aggression, but the Trump administration has asserted that the ceasefire is still intact and that peace negotiations remain ongoing.
The CENTCOM decision to down the Iranian attack drones on Friday also came just days after the House voted 215-208, with four Republicans joining Democrats, to “remove U.S. Armed Forces from hostilities against Iran unless explicitly authorized” by Congress. The Senate took a similar step to curb Trump’s war powers with respect to the conflict in Iran.
President Donald Trump said on Thursday in the Oval Office that if Iran attacked U.S. troops, “it would be a good reason” to once again resume strikes on Iran.
“If they killed U.S. troops, I think, I would do that very quickly,” Trump said.
CENTCOM initiated a similar defense strategy to the one on Friday earlier this week. It had helped intercept Iranian strikes headed toward Kuwait and Bahrain and also conducted strikes of its own on Iran’s Qeshm Island in response on Monday.
The war powers resolution, which the House approved this week, limits a president’s unilateral military action to 60 days before it has to be authorized by Congress, though it does grant the president a one-time 30-day extension. The White House has argued that the war, which began with U.S.-Israeli strikes at the end of February, has yet to reach the resolution’s threshold because of the ceasefire.
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