# 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 **Meta:** type: event · date: 2026-07-13 · heads: How Wars Actually End, What They're Not Saying · 7 takes · 6 lenses · 5 regions ## 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](/en/entity/iran). Al Jazeera described them as the third round of tit-for-tat attacks between the two sides in a single week. [Iran](/en/entity/iran) again claimed control of the [Strait of Hormuz](/en/entity/place/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](/en/entity/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. ## Regional takes (batched by bias / lens) ### UAE-based outlet reporting from a Gulf state directly adjacent to the conflict zone; first substantial verified piece, covers Trump's blockade reinstatement announcement and Hormuz toll claim - **The National** (United Arab Emirates, en) — The National reported Trump announcing the reinstatement of what he called an Iranian blockade through the Strait of Hormuz, and that the US would charge a 20% toll as 'Guardian of Hormuz.' The live blog covered the early IRGC strikes on Bahrain and Kuwait. > "Trump also announces reinstatement of 'Iranian blockade'." Source: https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2026/07/13/live-bahrain-kuwait-attacked-iran-us-war/ ### Israeli perspective monitoring Iranian drone capacity and IDF-US military coordination; reports US diplomatic demand for a Hormuz pledge - **The Jerusalem Post** (Israel, en) — The Jerusalem Post's live blog reported the US seeking an Iranian pledge to free the Strait of Hormuz, an Iranian official boasting of tripled drone capacity, and the IDF coordinating with US military in preparation for possible further action. The outlet provided the earliest window into Israeli threat assessments. > "US seeks Iranian pledge to free up Hormuz; Iranian official brags of tripled drone capacity; IDF coordinating with US military in preparation for possible action." Source: https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/2026-07-13/live-updates-902295 ### Chinese state media relaying Xinhua's Tehran-sourced reporting of IRGC's own claims; neutral framing of the retaliation narrative - **China Daily (Xinhua)** (China, en) — China Daily, carrying Xinhua's report from Tehran, stated that the IRGC said it had targeted US bases in Jordan, Bahrain, and Kuwait in retaliation. The report presented the IRGC's framing of the strikes as a proportional response, without independent verification of targets or damage. > "Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps said on Monday that it had targeted US bases in Jordan, Bahrain, Kuwait in retaliation." Source: https://global.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202607/13/WS6a549941a310986e2b464fc9.html ### Qatar-based Arab outlet providing the clearest account of the third-round pattern, describing it as tit-for-tat; Qatar itself is hosting diplomatic contacts and sits adjacent to the conflict zone - **Al Jazeera** (Qatar, en) — Al Jazeera provided the most comprehensive summary of the July 13 strikes, framing them as the third round of tit-for-tat attacks between Iran and the US in a single week. The outlet listed the four countries hit, confirmed missile and drone use, and noted Iran again claimed control of the Strait of Hormuz. > "Iran targets its Gulf neighbours in third round of tit-for-tat attacks with US in a week." Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/7/13/new-iran-strikes-on-gulf-as-us-attacks-escalate-what-we-know ### US right-wing outlet framing the strikes as Iran seizing Hormuz control; contrasts with Arab outlets by emphasising the breadth of the target list (Oman added to Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait) - **Breitbart News** (United States, en) — Breitbart reported that missile and drone strikes hit Oman, Bahrain, Jordan, and Kuwait, with Iran again claiming 'sole and enduring' control of the Strait of Hormuz. The piece framed the IRGC strikes as an escalatory act of territorial assertion rather than retaliation. > "Missile and drone strikes hit a host of Gulf states near the Strait of Hormuz early Monday morning as Iran again claimed sole and enduring control of the essential shipping lane." Source: https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2026/07/13/iran-hits-oman-bahrain-jordan-and-kuwait-as-it-again-claims-sole-control-of-strait-of-hormuz/ ### unlabelled - **The National (regional roundup)** (United Arab Emirates, en) — Source: https://www.thenationalnews.com/podcasts/trending-middle-east/2026/07/13/iran-launches-attacks-across-region-qatar-mourns-former-emir-and-eu-debates-w - **Xinhua (English wire)** (China, en) — Source: https://english.news.cn/20260713/1049028853b340ff9a5496b0f9b0ace7/c.html ## Across the graph - Related: [[iran-us-strikes-jul13]], [[iran-irgc-hormuz-closure-jul12]], [[iran-gulf-expanded-strikes-jul12]], [[iran-dossier]] - Entities: Iran, Place:strait of Hormuz --- Canonical: https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/iran-irgc-gulf-strikes-jul13