US destroys IRGC headquarters as Middle East tensions escalate

The United States Central Command announced on Monday that it had destroyed the headquarters of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in a strike it described as cutting off the “head of the snake.” A video shared by the command showed missiles launched from a US Navy ship striking an urban compound, reducing it to rubble. The US stated that the IRGC, responsible for killing over 1,000 Americans in the past 47 years, no longer has a headquarters and emphasized the strength of American military capabilities.

The strikes follow a joint US-Israel operation on Saturday that killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, triggering retaliatory missile and drone attacks by Iran across the Gulf. Explosions were reported in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, and Israel, intensifying instability across the region.

Also Read: U.S. and 6 Arab nations slam Tehran’s missile and drone strikes in West Asia

US Signals Month-Long Military Operation

US President Donald Trump told international media that the joint strikes could continue for four to five weeks, citing ample ammunition stored globally. In separate interviews, he indicated that Iran had expressed willingness to negotiate, though details of the talks remain unclear. Oman, which had been mediating the US-Iran dialogue, urged a ceasefire, reporting that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi expressed Tehran’s openness to de-escalation.

Iran Vows Retaliation

Iran has termed Khamenei’s killing a “declaration of war against Muslims,” with President Masoud Pezeshkian calling for retaliation against the perpetrators. The IRGC launched a “large-scale” attack targeting US bases and installations across the Gulf. Ali Larijani, head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, warned that the upcoming strikes would be unprecedented in force, signaling continued volatility and a heightened risk of further escalation in the Middle East.