Iran Launches "Operation True Promise IV," Striking US Bases and Gulf States

Iran retaliates for the US-Israeli assault with an unprecedented missile and drone barrage targeting US military bases in Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, and the UAE, and striking civilian infrastructure across the Gulf region.

Within hours of the US-Israeli strikes on February 28, Iran launched what it codenamed Operation True Promise IV — its most extensive missile and drone campaign ever. Hundreds of ballistic missiles and drones were fired at US military installations, including Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait, Al Dhafra Air Base in the UAE, and the US Navy's Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain. Strikes also hit civilian targets in Bahrain, Kuwait, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia. A drone struck a British military base in Cyprus. Iran also threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz — a chokepoint through which roughly 20% of global oil trade flows — causing oil prices to soar past $100 a barrel. The International Energy Agency called the conflict's impact the worst oil supply disruption in global history.