United States Central Command said on Friday that Iran has carried out attacks against 12 different countries and “continues to deliberately target civilians” across the Middle East.
CENTCOM chief Brad Cooper, in an update, accused Iranian forces of launching drones toward residential neighborhoods in Bahrain during their latest offensive.
“This is unacceptable and will not go unanswered,” Cooper stated, adding that the United States will keep working with regional partners to confront threats to innocent civilians throughout the region.
Since the war began, Iranian missiles and drones have struck Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Cyprus, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria and the United Arab Emirates. Meanwhile, NATO intercepted and destroyed a missile that was heading toward Turkey’s airspace.
Iran has fired more than 500 ballistic and cruise missiles along with over 2,000 drones, according to the Fars News Agency. The report stated that about 40% were aimed at Israel, while the remaining 60% targeted U.S. positions in the Arabian Peninsula.
On Friday, Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi reiterated Tehran’s earlier warning to the international community not to become directly involved in the conflict against the Islamic Republic.
In an interview with France 24, the minister declared that any country participating in the operation led by America and Israel “will also be legitimate targets for Iran’s retaliation.”
He argued that Iranian officials had been “negotiating in good faith” with the United States, describing the most recent round of talks held in Geneva as “a success.” The joint military mission reportedly began two days later.
Takht-Ravanchi also confirmed Tehran’s strikes against Kurdish groups in Iraq, which were reportedly supported by the Central Intelligence Agency and Mossad, stating that the actions were necessary to defend Iran’s sovereignty.
On the same day, Russian senior official Dmitry Medvedev mocked Persian Gulf nations over the Iranian attacks, claiming Washington “just uses them, while protecting only one country.”
“Think long and hard about whether you really need US bases – they’re not protection, they’re a threat,” the Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of Russia wrote in a post on X.
Also on Friday, the Saudi Arabia Ministry of Defense announced that its armed forces successfully intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched toward Prince Sultan Air Base.
However, videos shared on social media early Saturday appeared to show massive explosions striking parts of western Tehran near Mehrabad International Airport and the Ekbatan neighborhood.
