The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran confirmed this Thursday that it has carried out an offensive against defensive systems, aircraft, and military material of the United States at the Ali al Salem and Al Adiri bases in Kuwait, in the context of the hostilities that have been occurring between Washington and Tehran for twelve consecutive days now.
"The Islamic Revolutionary Guard, in retaliation for the American army that kills children and its interference in the Strait of Hormuz, have attacked and destroyed a large warehouse of military equipment, a Patriot missile defense system, and a hangar of American MQ-9 drones at the Ali al Salem airbase," the Iranian military branch stated in a statement collected by the Tasnim news agency, linked to the Guard itself.
In the same message, the military body indicated that it has also struck the Al Adiri base, where the targets would have been "the accommodation facilities of the American forces (and) two helicopter hangars." "In addition to killing and wounding several aggressors, (the forces of the Revolutionary Guard) have inflicted serious damage to several helicopters and drones," the disseminated text states.
The statement also adds that the Iranian forces claim to have attacked "a telecommunications tower," an action they justify as "a response to the American attacks against telecommunications towers in Iran."
Iran denies violating the sovereignty of Kuwait
Under the heading "ARGUES NOT TO VIOLATE THE SOVEREIGNTY OF THE COUNTRIES WHERE IT ATTACKS," the Revolutionary Guard responds to international criticisms. "It is sometimes said that Iran has violated the independence, territorial integrity, and sovereignty of countries with its attacks, but such judgment is completely erroneous," the Revolutionary Guard has argued in part of the same statement, addressed to the "Kuwaiti people," in which it defends its reprisals in the region.
In the face of these accusations, the military body maintains that "the independence, territorial integrity, and sovereignty of its Government (specifically referring to that of Kuwait) are fully respected."
"What kind of place is a U.S. base in a country?" the military body has questioned, which has defined these sites as places where, "without the control of their border guards, Americans and anyone they wish, sometimes prisoners from other countries, come and go."
"The United States Army Rangers are the ones who impose discipline there, not their military guards. The American judge judges the crimes committed there, not their judge. There, American law prevails, not theirs, not even that of their armed forces. Not even their Minister of Defense has the right to enter there without the permission of the United States Rangers," it has alleged.
Consequently, the Guard concludes that "it is the United States that has violated its territorial integrity and sovereignty, not us." "We are attacking territories occupied by the American Army, an Army that knows nothing but crime," the statement has asserted.
Regional and International Reactions
The arguments of the Revolutionary Guard come after the criticisms expressed this Wednesday by the Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Jasem Mohamed Al Budaiwi, who, among other demands, has called for "the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the States to be safeguarded," labeling Iran's actions as "unacceptable" and "incompatible with the United Nations Charter."
Numerous governments in the region have supported these positions. In this same vein, the Spanish Government conveyed on Wednesday its condemnation of the latest attacks by Iran against Gulf countries and Jordan, and urged for an "urgent de-escalation" and respect for the "ceasefire" in the confrontation between Washington and Tehran.