In the midst of rapidly escalating US-Iran tensions following Operation True Promise 4, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has just declared a major “victory” after forcing the United States to urgently relocate its strategic aerial refueling fleet from Prince Sultan Air Base (PSAB) in Saudi Arabia — one of the most critical US Air Force hubs in the Gulf region.

According to US and Saudi media reports, the US Air Force has begun the emergency evacuation of all KC-135 Stratotanker and KC-46A Pegasus aircraft from Prince Sultan Air Base (located about 60 km south of Riyadh). At its peak, the base hosted 16 KC-135s and 6 KC-46As — the vital “force multipliers” that enable American bombers to conduct deep strikes inside Iranian territory.

Why did the US have to “run”? Iran has launched repeated waves of ballistic missiles and drones targeting Prince Sultan over the past several days. Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defense confirmed it intercepted a ballistic missile headed toward the base (which landed in an uninhabited area). However, the relentless pressure from the IRGC made it impossible for the US to keep high-value tanker aircraft there any longer. The entire refueling fleet has now been urgently redeployed to bases in Europe — far beyond the range of Iranian missiles.

IRGC declares: “All targets were hit” This is not an isolated strike. In more than 30 consecutive attack waves so far, the IRGC has used Khorramshahr, hypersonic Fattah, and Khaybar ballistic missiles, while also hitting Camp Buehring in Kuwait and destroying 11 key targets (fuel depots, helicopter pads, logistics warehouses). Eyewitnesses reported panic, with US troops “scattering in all directions” immediately after missile impacts.