The Army of Iran said in a statement on Monday morning that the operation was carried out in response to the martyrdom of Iranian military personnel and civilians on Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz.

“From early Monday morning, in response to the recent aggression by the aggressor enemy and in retaliation for the martyrdom of the brave personnel of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps and innocent Iranian compatriots on Larak Island, the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Army targeted the locations of the helicopters and forces of the child-killing US military at the Al Minhad base in the UAE by launching dozens of attack drones,” it said.

The Army noted that the Al Minhad base is one of the important centers for the support and aerial transportation of foreign forces.

“The combatants of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Army are standing to ensure lasting security and safeguard the territory of Islamic Iran until the enemy threat is removed from the region, and they will avenge the blood of all the martyrs of the imposed war from the American terrorist forces,” the Army warned.

The Iranian Army’s statement came after the IRGC also announced retaliatory strikes against US military positions in the region.

On Monday morning, the IRGC said its Aerospace Force had carried out a combined missile-and-drone operation against the US King Hussein and Al-Azraq air bases in Jordan in response to the previous night’s US attack on Larak Island.

The IRGC targeted the technical and maintenance infrastructure as well as fighter-jet bases at the two facilities, causing significant damage.

Larak Island lies in the Strait of Hormuz, a strategically vital waterway through which a major share of global energy shipments passes. Iranian authorities have repeatedly stressed that the security and control of the waterway constitute a matter of national security and that foreign powers will not be allowed to dictate terms regarding its operation.