IRGC says destroyed several targets at US Navy Fifth Fleet base in Bahrain

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard claims it has destroyed the command and control centre, naval support management centre, warehouses, and fuel tanks at the US Fifth Fleet base in Bahrain in a “crushing response” this morning. The IRGC warned that oil and gas export routes serving the US and its allies could be targeted if the conflict continues. In a statement carried by state broadcaster IRIB, the IRGC said energy exports from the region should be “either for everyone or for no one”, signalling the possibility of further action against regional shipping and energy infrastructure. Meanwhile, the US military says it has completed an additional round of strikes against Iran at 10pm EST on July 14 (02:00 GMT on July 15). It said it hit “dozens of military targets near the Strait of Hormuz and Iranian coastal areas”. “US fighter aircraft, drones, and naval vessels launched precision munitions against Iranian missile and drone sites, naval capabilities, and coastal defense systems” during the seven-hour operation, US Central Command said. The military said that the strikes were designed “to further degrade Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping and civilian crews”. The action took place the same day US forces “resumed the naval blockade against vessels transiting to or from Iranian ports and coastal areas”, which “went into effect at 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday [20:00 GMT on July 14]”, it said. (Al Jazeera)