Iran's army formally claims strikes on US bases in Erbil

ERBIL, Iraq — Iran's army formally claimed responsibility for attacks on US bases in Erbil and the Kurdistan Region on Saturday evening. Army spokesperson Brigadier General Mohammad Ekremnia said heavy damage was inflicted on US bases in several countries and that most had lost their operational capability, according to the statement. The spokesperson said US infrastructure in Erbil was nearly completely destroyed and that the base had lost any capacity to carry out operations. CENTCOM announced on July 19 that one US soldier had been killed and another wounded in the incident, reporting that the fatality occurred during the controlled disposal of unexploded ordnance dropped by an Iranian drone in Erbil. The Iranian strikes coincided with repeated attacks on camps of Iranian Kurdish opposition parties in the Kurdistan Region and on facilities hosting US forces. A report by the Kurdistan Regional Government's Department of Information recorded 809 attacks across the region, concentrated in Erbil, between February 28 and April 20, 2026. Of those, 701 were carried out with drones and 108 with ballistic missiles, with Erbil hit 477 times — the highest of any city in the region.