Iran claims strikes on US naval base in Kuwait, ammunition vessel

Iran expanded its retaliation on Sunday, claiming to have struck a US naval base in Kuwait and a vessel carrying ammunition for American ships. 

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The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Iran's multi-branch military force, said it had launched a sixth wave of attacks in response to US and Israeli strikes and the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. 

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The IRGC said it carried out "extensive missile and drone" strikes against Israel and US military installations across the region. It claimed 27 US bases were targeted, along with Israel's Tel Nof airbase, the Israeli military's command headquarters at Hakirya in Tel Aviv, and a major defence industrial complex in the city.

The Guards warned that Iranian forces would enter "a different and severe phase of revenge" and promised "regrettable" retaliatory blows.

Earlier in the day, the Iranian Embassy in India shared details of what it described as the fifth wave of Operation True Promise4.

The embassy said that in the fifth wave of Operation True Promise4 in the Indian Ocean, the MSP ship, which was carrying ammunition for American vessels, was hit by four drones at the Jebel Ali anchorage and was "completely disabled with damage and explosions."

According to the embassy, the American naval base in the Abdullah Mubarak area of Kuwait was hit by 4 ballistic missiles and 12 drones, "and all the infrastructure was destroyed, and a large number of American forces were killed and injured."

Also, the MST-class combat support ship, which was carrying fuel for American vessels in the Indian Ocean, was hit by Iranian Qadr 380 missiles, the statement said. "The IRGC Navy, along with the air force, will keep the gates of hell open to enemy units."

The claims came as several loud explosions were again reported over Dubai and Doha for a second consecutive day. Witnesses said the blasts occurred as Iran continued missile and drone strikes across the Gulf, targeting US bases and other sites.

The escalation came hours after the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in US-Israeli strikes.

After Khamenei's death, Ali Larijani, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, issued a direct warning. "The Americans have stabbed the Iranian people in the heart and we will stab them in their heart," he said, adding that the "reaction from our armed forces will be much stronger."

On Sunday, Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf also addressed US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. According to state media, he said they had "crossed a red line" and "will pay for it."