Iran's IRGC strikes US targets in Jordan, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman in third round of tit-for-tat attacks
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched missile and drone strikes on US military positions in Jordan, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Oman early on July 13, the third exchange of attacks between Iran and the US in one week; US President Trump announced he was reinstating what he called an 'Iranian blockade' and said the US would act as 'Guardian of Hormuz' with a 20% toll
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Summary
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched missile and drone strikes early on July 13 against US military targets in Jordan, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Oman, calling them retaliation for US strikes on Iran. Al Jazeera described them as the third round of tit-for-tat attacks between the two sides in a single week. Iran again claimed control of the Strait of Hormuz, asserting what Breitbart described as "sole and enduring" authority over the waterway. US President Donald Trump responded by announcing the reinstatement of what he called an Iranian blockade through the strait and said the US would charge a 20% toll as "Guardian of Hormuz." The Jerusalem Post reported the US was seeking an Iranian pledge to free the strait, while an Iranian official separately bragged of tripled drone capacity, and Israel's IDF was said to be coordinating with the US military in preparation for possible further action.
The split
Al Jazeera and The National focused on the regional dimension: four Gulf and Arab states hit simultaneously, signalling Iran's intent to broaden the theatre. The Jerusalem Post tracked the military-technical angle, covering IRGC drone capacity and IDF-US coordination. China Daily, relaying Xinhua, transmitted the IRGC's own retaliation framing without challenge. Breitbart emphasised Iranian territorial ambition in the strait over the exchange dynamic. No outlet independently confirmed damage to US facilities.
By the numbers
- 4, countries where IRGC claimed strikes: Jordan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman.
- 3, rounds of US-Iran exchanges in one week as of July 13, per Al Jazeera.
- 20%, toll Trump said the US would charge on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
- 3x, Iranian official's claimed increase in IRGC drone capacity, per the Jerusalem Post.
Why it matters
Strikes reaching Jordan and Oman, not just the immediate Gulf neighbours of Bahrain and Kuwait, signal that Iran is expanding the geographic footprint of its retaliation campaign. Jordan hosts US military facilities and borders Israel; an IRGC strike there carries a different diplomatic weight from strikes on Gulf bases alone. Trump's "Guardian of Hormuz" framing is simultaneously a threat and an assertion of US authority over the world's most critical oil transit chokepoint, through which roughly a fifth of global crude supply passes.
What to watch
- Whether any of the four governments confirm damage to installations from the July 13 strikes.
- US military response to the expanded attack geography.
- Whether Iran's Strait of Hormuz claim translates into physical interference with tanker traffic.
- IDF's decision on whether to take action alongside the US, given the Jerusalem Post's report of coordination.