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Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps announced that the majority of its military operations are targeting American bases and strategic interests across the region rather than Israeli positions, marking a significant escalation in Tehran's framing of the conflict as a direct confrontation with Washington.
IRGC spokesperson Ali Mohammad Naeini said in a televised address that approximately 60% of Iran's offensive capability, including missile fire and drone operations, is being directed at US bases and strategic interests in the region, with the remaining 40% aimed at Israeli targets.
"We consider the Americans the main enemy in this war, and for this reason, they are prioritized for punishment," Naeini said, adding that the US has maintained military bases in the region for seventy years. He described American installations in the area as "our legitimate targets."
Naeini claimed that Iranian forces have intercepted 80 drones launched toward the country, including what he described as three advanced American MQ-9 drones and 74 Israeli drones.
He asserted that Iran's arsenal of heavy missiles, ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, various drones and assault vessels remains fully equipped for what he called "a large-scale and prolonged war," insisting there is no cause for concern over supply.
The MQ-9 Reaper is a remotely piloted aircraft widely used by the US military for surveillance and strike missions, capable of long-endurance flights and precision targeting.
The United Arab Emirates appears to be absorbing a significant share of Iranian projectiles directed at Arab states. The UAE defense ministry reported detecting more than 230 ballistic missiles and over 1,400 drones since the conflict began, underscoring the scale of the aerial threat facing Gulf nations.
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