Iran Opens a New Front: IRGC Strikes US Base in Kurdistan

On Day 11, Iran escalates to a new geographic front. The IRGC fires five ballistic missiles at Al-Harir Air Base in Iraqi Kurdistan — the primary US special operations and intelligence hub in northern Iraq. The strike is explicitly claimed by the IRGC on Telegram: 'The headquarters of the invading US army in Al-Harir Air Base was targeted.' This removes all proxy deniability. Iran is now directly striking US military installations. Iraqi PM al-Sudani immediately calls Secretary Rubio to protest: 'Iraqi airspace, territory, and waters must not be used for any military action.' Baghdad is caught between two patrons — Washington whose forces are being shot at from Iraqi soil, and Tehran whose militias fire the shots. US air defenses over Erbil intercept Iranian drones almost daily. The Al-Harir strike raises the stakes: if the US retaliates against Iran from Iraqi territory, Sudani's government could collapse.

Key facts

• •IRGC fires 5 missiles at Al-Harir Air Base — US special ops and intel hub in Kurdistan
• •First explicit IRGC claim of striking a US military base — no proxy deniability
• •Iraqi PM Sudani calls Rubio: Iraqi territory must not be used against neighbors
• •US air defenses intercept Iranian drones over Erbil almost daily
• •US Embassy in Baghdad under rocket fire — US consulate in Erbil also at risk
• •Iraq caught between Washington and Tehran — government stability under pressure