Tehran [Iran], June 4 (ANI): Amid escalating conflict in West Asia, Iran has claimed that its naval forces successfully targeted an American military vessel operating a 'command and control centre' within the Sea of Oman.

According to a report by the Iranian news agency Tasnim, the vessel was struck as it neared Iran's territorial waters in the Sea of Oman.

The Iranian military justified the hostile action by stating that the operation was carried out following American assaults on Iranian commercial shipping vessels and an alleged 'violation of Strait of Hormuz regulations', Tasnim added.

However, the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) quickly dismissed the maritime claim. In a swift counter-statement published on social media platform X, CENTCOM noted: 'CLAIM: Iran is now claiming it has targeted a U.S. Navy destroyer in the Gulf of Oman.'

https://x.com/CENTCOM/status/2062257014516990079?s=20

Rejecting the assertion, the military command stated: 'TRUTH: Iran is lying. U.S. military assets at sea continue to fly, sail, and operate safely and unimpeded.'

This high-seas confrontation unfolded just hours after Tehran unleashed a heavy salvo of missiles aimed directly at American military installations situated across Kuwait and Bahrain.

The maritime incident also coincided with an intense diplomatic dispute regarding severe destruction inflicted upon Kuwait International Airport. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) vehemently denied any involvement in the airfield bombardment.

An IRGC spokesperson, quoted across state media channels, alleged that the wreckage at the civilian hub was actually triggered by a technical malfunction inside a US-made Patriot air defence system rather than an Iranian military strike.

CENTCOM forcefully countered the paramilitary group's version of events. In a post on X, the American military command directly blamed Tehran for the devastation, asserting that 'Iran struck the civilian airport with drones in a deliberate, calculated, and unjustified attack.'

The sharp American rebuttal followed the IRGC's continued insistence that a technical Patriot missile system error was solely to blame for the structural damage sustained at the transport terminal.

The regional fallout from Iran's military manoeuvres triggered harsh criticism from neighbouring Gulf states. Former Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani condemned Tehran's persistent offensives against nearby countries, describing the behaviour as 'astonishing' and 'unjustifiable' amidst the deteriorating security landscape.

Writing on X on Wednesday, Al Thani openly questioned the strategic rationale behind Iran's recent barrages against Bahrain and Kuwait, indicating there were substantial grounds to investigate whether these operations had been planned beforehand.

While reinforcing Qatar's long-standing diplomatic interest in preserving constructive ties with Tehran, the former Prime Minister explicitly warned that Doha would not be 'blackmailed' by Iran.

He further championed the need for a synchronised coalition among Gulf capitals, maintaining that a unified regional stance would demonstrate that persistent acts of aggression against sovereign states would fail to diminish their collective determination.

In contrast, Tehran has repeatedly defended its cross-border operations against Gulf nations, characterising them as legitimate acts of retaliation for their alleged role in facilitating American military strikes against Iranian assets from their soil.

Gulf administrations have uniformly rejected these accusations. They argue instead that Tehran is attempting to intimidate regional governments into lobbying US President Donald Trump to halt the broader conflict.

The political condemnation by Al Thani followed the chaotic strike at Kuwait International Airport, which local authorities confirmed resulted in widespread structural ruin and casualties. The lethal event broke a fragile ceasefire that had been instituted across the Gulf on April 8.

Kuwaiti health officials confirmed that one person was killed and 63 others were left injured during the airfield strike. The country's Foreign Ministry also disclosed that the incoming projectiles damaged foreign diplomatic facilities within the state, though it refrained from naming the specific missions impacted.

In a formal statement addressing the tragedy, the Ministry of External Affairs confirmed that the deceased victim was a citizen of India. Registering a stern condemnation of the civilian targeting, the ministry stated: 'We again call on all parties to cease such attacks' on non-military infrastructure.

Providing a tactical overview of the raid, Kuwaiti Defence Ministry spokesman Saud Abdulaziz Al-Atwan stated that 30 ballistic missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles were deployed during what he termed a 'heinous Iranian aggression' that ultimately caused 'significant material damage to the building'.

Kuwait's official news agency reported that civil aviation management temporarily froze all airfield operations and rerouted incoming commercial flights after 'Terminal One came under Iranian attacks causing casualties and damage'.

While airfield activity was subsequently restored in progressive phases, national carrier Kuwait Airways eventually re-established its full flight schedules. The key transport hub had only just returned to regular operations on June 1 after being repeatedly struck during the earlier stages of the war.

This latest escalation has piled immense pressure on the shaky truce, which had managed to hold firm despite minor, occasional breaches. The armistice originally halted over a month of intensive combat sparked by joint US and Israeli strikes on Iran, a period during which Tehran launched thousands of rockets and drones at Gulf targets.

Tehran had previously accused both Kuwait and Bahrain of providing operational assistance to American forces during actions executed against an Iranian oil tanker and Qeshm Island.

In an official update shared via its Telegram channel, the Revolutionary Guards stated: 'In response to this aggression, the Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait, which hosts helicopters, as well as the headquarters of the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, were targeted with missiles and drones by the Guards' forces.'

While the paramilitary command explicitly cited the Ali Al Salem facility and the US Navy's Fifth Fleet base in Bahrain as its primary targets, the official dispatch completely omitted any mention of the civilian international airport.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon announced that its regional forces had 'successfully defeated' a series of Iranian missile and drone salvos tracking towards Kuwaiti and Bahraini territories before US units conducted retaliatory strikes on Qeshm Island.

Detailing the mid-air engagements, CENTCOM stated: 'Two Iranian missiles fired at Kuwait fell short or broke apart en route, and three missiles launched at Bahrain were immediately intercepted by US and Bahrain air defense forces.'

In a subsequent update on X, CENTCOM declared: 'All Iranian attacks on American forces failed.'

Separately, Bahraini state authorities confirmed that their domestic air defence networks successfully intercepted three incoming missiles, along with a cluster of drones deployed by Iranian forces. (ANI)