IRGC launches wave of strikes targeting US and Israeli assets across Gulf and Israel

Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) said on April 2 it had launched its 90th wave of operations since the war began, striking US steel and aluminium interests in the UAE and Bahrain, Israeli defence manufacturer Rafael, and US military bases across the region in retaliation for strikes on Iran's steel industry, according to information released.

The Khatam al-Anbiya headquarters spokesperson said targets included US-linked steel and aluminium facilities in Abu Dhabi and Bahrain, a covert US personnel gathering near Manama, and Israeli air bases at Tel Nof, Palmachim and Ben Gurion. Military concentrations in Tel Aviv, Haifa, Eilat, the Negev and Beersheba were also targeted, the statement said.

The IRGC's Ebrahim Zolfaghari claimed strikes on three US bases: Ahmed al-Jaber and Ali al-Salem in Kuwait, and al-Kharj in Saudi Arabia.

He added that an early warning radar system at Al-Dhafra air base in the UAE was destroyed.

Iran's regular army said it launched drone attacks on al-Azraq base in Jordan, which it accused of directing US fighter and drone operations against Iranian positions.

The Guard claimed "dozens" of US personnel were killed and wounded in the Manama strike, with ambulances responding for hours.

These claims could not be independently verified by IntelliNews.

The Pentagon's most recent casualty count put US losses at 13 killed and 348 wounded since February 28; however, that figure is believed to be higher, with recent alleged disputes between the Trump administration and military leadership leading to the departure of senior staff. 

US War Secretary Pete Hegseth has asked Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George to step down and take immediate retirement, sources familiar with the decision told CBS News on April 2. 

The IRGC said its air defences shot down three hostile drones over Shiraz and one in the country's northwest during the previous 24 hours, including an MQ-9 Reaper claimed earlier in the day.

The statement framed the operations as direct retaliation for US-Israeli strikes on Iran's steel sector, including the shutdown of Mobarakeh Steel in Isfahan, the country's largest producer.

The Guards warned of "more severe and devastating strikes" to come and urged civilians to stay away from US and Israeli-linked economic and industrial centres in the region.