Iran on Sunday said it has carried out fresh strikes, claiming that targets linked to the United States were hit in the Indian Ocean and in Kuwait as part of what it has named Operation True Promise 4.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said this marks the fifth phase of the campaign, at a time when tensions across the region are already running high. The claims, if verified, would signal a direct expansion of Iran’s confrontation with the United States beyond its immediate borders.
In a statement on Sunday, the IRGC said it targeted a vessel identified as “MSP” at the Jebel Ali anchorage in the Indian Ocean. The ship was described as carrying ammunition intended for US vessels. The Guard Corps said four drones struck the ship, leaving it severely damaged and no longer operational.
The IRGC also claimed it hit a US naval installation in Kuwait’s Abdullah Al-Mubarak area. It said four ballistic missiles and 12 drones were used in that attack, alleging that key facilities were destroyed and that American personnel were killed or injured. These claims have not been independently verified.
According to the statement, another vessel, described as an MST-class combat support ship functioning as a refuelling tanker for US forces in the Indian Ocean, was struck using what Iran called Qadr 380 missiles.
“The fighters of the Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy, following the fighters of the aerospace field, will keep the gates of hell open to the enemy units,” the IRGC said, signalling that further action could follow.
By naming targets in the Indian Ocean and in Kuwait, and by describing this as the fifth wave of an ongoing operation, Tehran appears to be signalling that its response is structured and phased rather than impulsive.
The geographic spread of the claimed strikes suggests an attempt to demonstrate reach, that any confrontation with Washington could stretch across key maritime routes and regional bases, not remain limited to one front.
IRGC vows retaliation after Khamenei’s death
The military escalation comes after Iranian state television confirmed the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in what Tehran described as a major attack by the United States and Israel.
In a message posted on its official Telegram channel, the IRGC vowed revenge. It said those responsible would face what it called a severe and decisive response.
“The hand of revenge of the Iranian nation for a severe, decisive, and regrettable punishment for the murderers of the Imam of the Ummah will not let go of them.”
It added that the IRGC, the Armed Forces, and the Basij forces will “powerfully continue the path of their leader in defending his legacy, standing firm against internal and external plots, and delivering what it described as a lesson-giving punishment to aggressors against the Islamic homeland.”
Iran’s Cabinet also issued a warning, saying the killing of Khamenei would not go unanswered.
Khamenei’s death, described by Tehran as a turning point in the country’s 46-year Shia clerical rule, has triggered fresh instability across parts of the Middle East, with fears that the confrontation could widen further.