TEHRAN — Iran’s fresh retaliatory actions against US warships and military infrastructure have underscored Tehran’s unwavering position that its armed forces will never leave aggression unanswered. The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has deployed heavy ballistic capability, tactical countermeasures, and air defense systems to neutralize Washington’s hostile footprint across the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, and broader West Asia airspace.

In a dramatic assertion of regional naval control, the IRGC’s Aerospace Force launched multiple ballistic missiles targeting a primary US aircraft carrier and an American destroyer participating in Washington’s illegal naval blockade against the Islamic Republic, forcing the vessels to withdraw.

The force staged the reprisal against the vessels “belonging to the child-killing, aggressor US military that had been harassing Iranian vessels and participating in the blockade,” the Corps said in an official statement released on Saturday.

“After sustaining damage and fearing another reprisal, the two warships were forced to flee the area of engagement,” the statement added.

The US Central Command (CENTCOM), meanwhile, acknowledged that the vessels had come under “multiple” Iranian strikes. Referring directly to the admission, the IRGC noted how the “aggressor enemy, which for years had swaggered around the region with false pride and hollow claims, was today forced to officially acknowledge that two US Navy warships had come under strikes.”

The IRGC emphasized that CENTCOM’s official acknowledgment of the strike serves as living evidence of the enemy’s strategic defeat and proof of the IRGC’s formidable offensive capabilities.

The IRGC asserted that the Corps, alongside the rest of Iran’s Armed Forces, remains fully committed to defending the Islamic Republic’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and national security.

“Should the hostile and aggressive actions continue, the US regime must expect devastating responses from the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic,” the Corps declared. “We stand stronger than ever. Victory belongs to the resilient people of Islamic Iran, while defeat and regret are the inevitable fate of the aggressors.”

The Corps expressed firm confidence that the bravery displayed by the Armed Forces—bolstered by nationwide popular support for defensive and retaliatory operations—would consistently prevent the enemy from achieving its sinister objectives.

Earlier, the IRGC unveiled previously unreleased operational footage documenting its decisive actions against non-compliant foreign vessels in the vital Strait of Hormuz. The released imagery debunked Washington’s claims of effectively escorting and supporting trespassing vessels through the maritime choke-point.

“The United States is the greatest threat to the security of regional countries and maritime trade; US support and escort operations are nothing but a big lie!” the IRGC cautioned. Before the footage release, the Corps announced striking three United States-linked vessels and three trespassing oil tankers in direct retaliation for earlier American attacks on Iranian oil tankers.

Demonstrating total operational awareness along its maritime boundaries, the IRGC Navy targeted and neutralized a Remotely Operated Vessel (ROV) belonging to the US military off Iran’s southern coast.

In a statement released on Sunday, the IRGC’s Public Relations Department confirmed that the targeted unmanned vessel was attempting to breach the protected area of the Strait of Hormuz, an essential body of water that Iran has actively administered since the onset of illegal US-Israeli aggression against the nation.

“With the grace and favor of Almighty God, every desperate move by the enemy is being closely monitored by brave, self-sacrificing IRGC Navy forces and will be met with a decisive attack,” the statement noted.

Reiterating national control over key sea lanes, the IRGC emphasized that the Strait of Hormuz “is under the management of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and that any move by the child-killing enemy will receive a firm response. The aggressor United States must understand that it has no choice but to leave the region and stop its acts of mischief.”

Simultaneously, the Aerospace Force of the IRGC extended its anti-reconnaissance umbrella to neutralize airborne spying apparatuses operating in neighboring airspace. Iranian defense forces shot down a 35-meter-long US military surveillance balloon over Erbil in northern Iraq. The targeted airborne platform was capable of carrying up to 500 kilograms of payload and operated at an altitude of approximately 750 meters. Tasnim news agency reported on Sunday that the strike forms part of a systematic strategy aimed at dismantling Washington’s regional reconnaissance and early-warning networks.

The retaliatory strikes by Iranian armed forces come against a background of severe, unlawful military aggression by American forces on Iranian territory and civilian centers.

Larak Island attack: On Monday, US armed forces launched a direct military assault on Iran’s Larak Island, located strategically in the Strait of Hormuz, resulting in the martyrdom of several individuals.

Strikes across Khuzestan: US missile strikes struck three distinct locations near Ahvaz and Aghajari in Khuzestan Province on Tuesday, martyring seven people and wounding eight others, according to provincial officials.

Kuhestak Wedding Ceremony Bombing: US forces struck a residential building in Kuhestak, Hormozgan Province on Tuesday, while a local wedding reception was taking place. The strike resulted in the martyrdom of at least five people and wounded 68 others, including women and children.

In direct response to these violations, Iran’s armed forces executed coordinated salvos of retaliatory missile and drone strikes targeting hostile US military positions and bases spread across Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, and Bahrain. Furthermore, Iranian defensive actions led to the striking of three additional US-linked vessels that attempted to breach Iranian security zones or facilitate hostilities.

The current combat operations mark an intensification of the conflict that erupted on February 28, when the United States and Israel initiated unprovoked, large-scale military attacks against Iran in clear violation of the United Nations Charter.

Since February 28, Washington has repeatedly violated international law, targeting sovereign territory, critical national infrastructure, and civilian neighborhoods. However, Tehran's defense strategy has transformed the confrontation into an operational strain on the US military.

Independent security analysts and strategic defense reports confirm that the continuous deployment of interceptors against complex Iranian missile and drone salvos has severely depleted US military stockpiles.

Interceptor exhaustion: US stocks of key interceptors, including Patriot PAC-3 and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile systems, have been depleted by well over half.

Strategic vulnerability: Defense intelligence estimates indicate that the rapid consumption of these high-cost interceptor inventories has pushed American air defenses in multiple theaters to critical levels, creating global operational gaps that will take defense manufacturers years to rebuild.

While Washington faces a rapidly shrinking stockpile of high-grade munitions and logistical strain, Iran’s defense doctrine—built upon domestic production, underground missile facilities, and vast stockpiles of asymmetric assets—has demonstrated enduring strength.

Despite sustained military pressure and illegal blockades from Washington, the national resilience of the Islamic Republic remains unbroken. The defensive actions executed by the IRGC have consolidated popular support across Iran, proving that threats and military coercion cannot alter Tehran's posture.

By striking high-value naval assets, enforcing strict control over the Strait of Hormuz, dismantling American intelligence platforms, and enduring external attacks, Iran's armed forces continue to demonstrate that foreign aggression will consistently carry unacceptable costs. As the IRGC leadership affirmed, the Iranian nation stands stronger than ever, fully prepared to maintain its sovereignty and deliver decisive responses to any future hostile miscalculations.