Iran’s official state broadcaster warned people to “stay away” from American military bases on Saturday as Tehran escalated its attacks in the Gulf region and formally suspended its commitment to the US-Iran memorandum of understanding it had violated from the start.
“In response to US acts of aggression and threats from terrorist groups, Iran has launched missile strikes targeting Sulaymaniyah (Iraq) and Bahrain,” Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting claimed. “People should stay away from US bases.”
“If you want to remain safe from Iran’s missiles, summon your #courage and assert your #independence, and shut down U.S. military bases on your territory,” it added, encouraging US allies in the region to abandon Washington.
A screen grab taken from video footage released on July 16, 2026 by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC)’s Sepah News website shows a missile being launched from an undisclosed location towards US targets in Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain. SEPAHNEWS.COM/AFP via Getty Images
Iran has launched missile and drone strikes against American military facilities in Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan, since Friday night, while also hitting Saudi infrastructure and sites in Iraq.
US Central Command declined to provide an assessment of damages, but on Friday told The Post “US forces in the region remain fully operational.”
Tehran also targeted Kuwaiti oil, power and water desalination facilities, escalating its bombing campaign to include critical civilian infrastructure alongside military targets.
Tehran has claimed the strikes came in retaliation for the US hitting civilian targets in Iran over the past eight days of strikes — but White House spokesperson Anna Kelly told The Post that the US was only striking military targets in Iran.
“The United States Military has carried out strikes exclusively on military targets, including military logistics infrastructure,” she said. “In contrast, the Iranian regime has intentionally targeted civilian vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and lashed out against its neighbors who have no role in this conflict.
“President Trump will not allow these acts of terrorism to continue unanswered, which is why he has directed CENTCOM to degrade Iran’s ability to carry out these attacks and hold the regime accountable,” she added.
It comes a week after the US launched its daily campaign of strikes on the regime’s targets, which is expected to continue into next week, a source familiar with military planning told The Post.
A satellite image shows smoke billowing near an oil facility in Kuwait. via REUTERS
President Trump also threatened Wednesday to begin attacking Iranian energy infrastructure if Tehran doesn’t come to the negotiating table.
Meanwhile, Mohsen Rezaei — an adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei — on Friday claimed that “if US strikes continue for several more days, we will move into a phase of full-scale offensive operations.”
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi on Saturday said Iran had “suspended our commitments” to the MOU with the United States.
“We are not implementing them, and we are busy defending the country,” he said.
An infographic titled “US strikes on Iran and Iranâs retaliatory attacks” created in Ankara, Turkiye on July 17, 2026. Anadolu via Getty Images
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said the attacks are a response to what it said was “American aggression.”
IRGC-affiliated media claimed the United States carried out three military strikes near Sirik in Hormozgan Province on Saturday, but the claims have not yet been independently verified and CENTCOM did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Foundation for Defending Democracies’ Iran program director Behnam Ben told The Post “we should not be shocked to hear and see that Tehran is expanding its terrorism to the skies of its neighbors.”
“The Islamic Republic started this latest round of violence in the region and is now struggling to explain away its embrace of a scorched-earth policy against its neighbors,” he said.
Jordan’s armed forces said they intercepted a number of missiles and drones that entered the kingdom’s airspace, adding that the military acted to protect the country’s sovereignty and the safety of its citizens.
Kuwaiti authorities reported damage to infrastructure, including power and desalination facilities, while emphasizing that emergency services were responding and working to restore affected services.
Iranian professor Mohammad Marandi — who has ties to the regime — on Saturday said that “If Trump continues to strike civilian targets, the UAE will be next” — despite the White House denying that claim.
Taleblu argued it is Tehran that’s attacking civilian infrastructure.
“In the regime’s latest agitprop and gaslighting of the Arab publics it is firing upon, it is trying to frame its attacks as being just on US bases,” he said.
“But falling debris and attacks on infrastructure as well as on military facilities where other Arab armies are co-located tell a drastically different story.”
