This has been the IRGC's second statement regarding the US strikes and followed an earlier claim that its naval and air units pushed back the US forces' attacks. The IRGC has also warned that any US action “will not go unanswered”, adding that its response would be swift and decisive.
However, in both statements, the IRGC did not specify which targets had been attacked or what weapons had been used in the retaliatory strikes.
During previous clashes between mid-May and early June, Iran had publicly disclosed the list of US bases targeted as well as the weapons employed. But as of Saturday morning, Gulf countries and other nations across the Middle East had not reported any attacks on their territories. US forces in the region have also not commented on the incident.
The early morning confrontation marked the first direct exchange of fire between US and Iranian forces since the two sides reached a preliminary agreement, also known as the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, to end the conflict.
The latest escalation has heightened concerns that the ceasefire could collapse and that the peace talks scheduled to take place in Switzerland on Sunday may no longer proceed as planned.
