Wave 99: IRGC Targets US Aircraft Carrier, Energy Facilities in Gulf

By Al Mayadeen English

Source: IRGC Public Relations

The IRGC announces a new wave of strikes targeting US-linked energy infrastructure, an Israeli-linked vessel, and a US aircraft carrier, warning of broader escalation across the region.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced on Tuesday the launch of a new wave of military operations striking American and Israeli-linked targets across West Asia, in response to recent attacks on Iran’s energy infrastructure.

In an official statement, the IRGC Public Relations said the forces carried out wave 99 of Operation True Promise 4, underlining that the operation is a coordinated response to “the enemy's crimes in the attack on the Asaluyeh petrochemical plants and part of its facilities."

Combined missile and drone strikes launched

According to the statement, the IRGC Navy and the IRGC Aerospace Force conducted a joint operation beginning at dawn, employing ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and one-way attack drones. The operation was dedicated to “the martyrs of the Jewish and Christian communities of the imposed wars”.

The IRGC said the strikes targeted US bases and interests in the Gulf region, the Strait of Hormuz, as well as military positions and command and control centers in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories.

Energy infrastructure, maritime targets hit

The statement added that in the initial phase of the operation, missile and drone strikes targeted major petrochemical facilities in Saudi Arabia’s al-Jubail and al-Juaymah areas. Specifically, the facilities struck are partially-owned or operated by American companies, including Chevron Phillips, ExxonMobil, Dow Chemical Company, and SADARA Chemical Company, which is a venture between Aramco and Dow.

Additionally, the IRGC reported that a container ship linked to "Israel" was struck near the UAE port of Khor Fakkan. The vessel was transporting military equipment intended for Israeli use via an overland route, attempting to bypass the Strait of Hormuz.

The attack on the vessel was intended as a warning against any maritime cooperation with "Israel" or the United States.

Aircraft carrier group targeted

The IRGC further stated that it targeted the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) and its carrier group in the Indian Ocean using long-range anti-ship cruise missiles.

In its statement, the IRGC warned that any further escalation by US forces would prompt a wider response. It stressed that while Iran “has not been and will not be the initiator of attacks on civilian targets,” it would “not hesitate to retaliate against aggressions on civilian facilities.”

The statement also warned that US and allied infrastructure in the region could be targeted in a way that would disrupt access to oil and gas resources for years.

Iran further cautioned regional states that, while it had previously exercised restraint “due to good neighborliness," it would no longer maintain such considerations in selecting targets going forward.

'New phase of war'

Brigadier General Seyed Majid Mousavi, commander of the IRGC Aerospace Force, announced in a video posted on his UpScrolled account the start of the second phase of wave 99 of Operation True Promise 4, stating, “The war has entered a new phase with the introduction of twin slot launchers, each capable of independently firing pairs of Fateh and Kheibar Shekan missiles."