United States escalates military actions against Iran

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it destroyed a U.S. Patriot air‑defence system and struck multiple U.S. facilities in Jordan, Iraq, Kuwait and Bahrain, including aircraft, a data centre and a housing complex for U.S. troops.

In response, the United States pulled fighter jets and other equipment from its Al Udeid base in Qatar and Al Dhafra base in the United Arab Emirates, with Sentinel‑2 satellite images showing the sites virtually empty.

The U.S. also dispatched two B‑1 Lancer strategic bombers from RAF Fairford in the United Kingdom into the CENTCOM area to strike IRGC targets, and moved additional B‑1B aircraft deeper into the region. Further, the Pentagon readied F‑15EX Eagle II fighter‑bombers and sent elite units, medical staff and other support elements to the Middle East.

U.S. forces also fired on a commercial vessel attempting to breach Iran’s maritime blockade, disabling the ship’s engine room. These coordinated attacks and deployments mark a marked escalation in the U.S.–Iran confrontation across the Middle East.