Sopuruchi Onwuka

The Iranian military forces have sparked widespread regional tension as they struggle to retaliate military strikes from US forces in the Persian Gulf, pitching the Islamic Republic against neighbors hosting American military bases.

The desperate counterstrikes come as early results in the US strikes which started early today show significant results including possible killing of the leader of the Iran’s Revolutionary Guard (IRGC), General Mohammad Pakpour.

Gen Pakpour is reportedly targeted in Israeli precision strikes which came after the IRGC launched missile attacks on the Zionist nation, which is the archenemy of the Islamist regime of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei whose whereabouts remain unknown.

General Mohammad Pakpour

Besides Israel, Iran has reportedly spread missile attacks on neighboring nations where the United States have military bases that could be deployed in the war.

While the Iranian missiles have sparked regional diplomatic tension US military assets in the areas have been up and doing weathering the storm, shooting down most of the missiles and minimizing potential impacts.

Official sources say the US assets in the gulf waters and at military bases in the Middle East actively engaged in air defense operations involve American air, land, and sea forces.

Iran’s semi-official Fars News Agency said that the IRGC launched missiles at US bases in Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates.

All four countries host major US military installations. Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar is the largest in the Middle East, while Naval Support Activity Bahrain is home to the US Navy’s 5th Fleet. Kuwait and the UAE also host important bases for ground and air forces.

Qatar’s defense ministry said it shot down Iranian missiles targeting the country in multiple waves. Bahrain’s state news agency said that 5th Fleet was attacked. Rocket shrapnel killed at least one person in the UAE, the country said, adding that it intercepted several incoming munitions.

The Israeli military said it detected multiple waves of missiles fired from Iran, with air defense systems working to intercept them.

The US embassies in several Middle East countries, including Qatar, Bahrain, and Jordan, issued warnings earlier that missile strikes were imminent, warning American citizens to shelter in place.

The US has surged military forces into the region in recent weeks, assembling a substantial presence capable of conducting air defense operations.

More than a dozen US warships, including two aircraft carriers, are operating in the Middle East and the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. American fighter jets and air defense batteries are also operating in the region.

US ground, air, and naval forces were involved in the strikes, along with Israeli F-35 stealth fighters and F-15 jets. The UK, which has military assets in the Middle East, was not involved in the offensive operations.

The US has provided air defense for Israel in previous clashes with Iran, including during the June conflict.

Meanwhile the odds are high for Iran following reports that the IRGC leader, General Mohammad Pakpour, might have been killed in the attack, while the Supreme Leader and President of the country are said to have gone underground in fear of Israeli precision strikes.

Gen Pakpour is said to have been ‘eliminated’ in strikes targeting the capital, Tehran, according to Israeli assessments. Footage and photographs show dozens of smoking buildings in the Iranian capital close to the offices of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Israeli media Channel 12 reported that Khamenei’s palace has been destroyed, though it is unclear whether the 86-year-old was present. An Israeli official also confirmed that Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian was also among those targeted by the strikes, alongside other senior regime and military commanders.

The results of the strikes are currently unclear, but the official said there had been a ‘very high success’ from the operation, which Israel has named ‘Lion’s Roar’.

Pakpour was appointed the new commander of the IRGC in June 2025 following the killing of his predecessor, Hossein Salami, in Israeli airstrikes. Promoted to the rank of major general, he was directed to ‘enhance the IRGC’s capabilities, readiness, and internal cohesion.’

Pakpour came to prominence again in January as the man said to have directed the bloody massacre of tens of thousands of Iranians during a series of uprisings against the regime.

According to US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, at least 6,872 people, mostly protesters, were killed in the crackdown, though some estimates place the death toll as exceeding 30,000.

Just over a month ago Pakpour sent a stark warning to Israel and the United States ‘to avoid any miscalculations’ as tensions between the countries continued to rise.

Referring to the conflict which took place in June 2025, Pakpour told US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to learn ‘from historical experiences and what they learned in the 12-day imposed war, so that they do not face a more painful and regrettable fate.’

He added, during his statement in January: ‘The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and dear Iran have their finger on the trigger, more prepared than ever, ready to carry out the orders and measures of the supreme commander-in-chief — a leader dearer than their own lives.’

Upon the strikes Saturday morning, the Israeli military identified dozens of ballistic missiles launched from Iran towards Israel, with defensive systems operating to ‘intercept the threat’.

Blasts have also rocked Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Abu Dhabi sparking fears the Middle East may now be on the brink of all out war.

In Bahrain, officials confirmed that the headquarters of the US Navy’s 5th Fleet had been targeted by a missile attack; with footage shared on social media showing a large plume of smoke rising into the sky.

President Trump announced the United States forces are going to destroy Iran’s missiles and raze its missile industry to the ground. “It will be totally, again, obliterated,’ Trump said in his announcement.

President Donald Trump of the United States

‘We’re going to annihilate their navy, we’re going to ensure that the region’s terrorist proxies can no longer destabilize the region or the world and attack our forces and no longer use their IEDs or roadside bombs as they are sometimes called to gravely wound and kill thousands and thousands of people, including many Americans.

‘And we will ensure that Iran does not attain a nuclear weapon – a very simple message: They will never have a nuclear weapon.’

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meanwhile said the purpose of Operation Lion’s Roar was to remove the ‘existential threat’ posed by Iran.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel

‘My brothers and sisters, citizens of Israel, a short time ago, Israel and the United States embarked on an operation to remove the existential threat posed by the terrorist regime in Iran.

‘I thank our great friend, President Donald Trump, for his historic leadership. For 47 years, the Ayatollah regime has been shouting ‘Death to Israel’ and ‘Death to America’.

‘It has spilled our blood, murdered many Americans, and massacred its own people. This murderous terrorist regime must not be armed with nuclear weapons that would allow it to threaten all of humanity. Our joint action will create the conditions for the courageous Iranian people to take their destiny into their own hands.

‘The time has come for all segments of the Iranian people – the Persians, the Kurds, the Azeris, the Baluchis, and the Ahwazis – to throw off the yoke of tyranny and bring about a free and peaceful Iran.

‘I appeal to you, the citizens of Israel, to listen to the instructions of the Home Front Command. In the coming days, in Operation “The Roar of the Lion”, we will all be required to have endurance and fortitude.

‘Together we will stand, together we will fight, and together we will ensure the eternity of Israel.’