The United States carried out a “heavy wave of strikes” against Iran on Thursday in retaliation for Tehran’s missile attack on American military bases in Jordan, further escalating tensions in the Middle East after nearly a week-long pause in hostilities.
The renewed fighting has diminished hopes for an immediate return to diplomatic negotiations between Washington and Tehran.
US President Donald Trump had earlier vowed to strike Iran “hard” after Iranian missiles targeted US bases in Jordan, marking Tehran’s first regional attack in several days.
According to US Central Command (CENTCOM), American forces “successfully completed a heavy wave of strikes against Iran,” targeting dozens of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) sites, including military command centers.
“The strikes aimed to further diminish threats posed by Iran and its proxies to American forces, commercial shipping, and neighboring Gulf countries,” CENTCOM said.
Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency reported that multiple locations in the southwestern province of Khuzestan, along with Qeshm Island in the Gulf, were hit during the attacks.
Provincial authorities said the strikes affected areas near Abadan, Shadegan, Arvandkenar, and Ahvaz.
Separately, the Fars news agency reported that a strike on a residential home in Qeshm killed three members of a family, including a two-year-old child, while two other children were injured.
“A US attack on a residential home in the Chah Tangu neighbourhood of Qeshm killed three members of a family: the father, the mother, and their 2-year-old child,” Fars reported, citing Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences.
The conflict has also expanded beyond Iran. Saudi Arabia and the United States announced joint strikes on militant bases in Iraq on Wednesday, while Israel accused Hezbollah of violating an existing ceasefire.
Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil exporter, reported two consecutive days of drone attacks targeting its crude oil facilities, blaming Iraqi armed groups aligned with Tehran.
Meanwhile, Jordan’s military said it intercepted five Iranian missiles after the IRGC claimed responsibility for targeting US bases in the kingdom.
“As long as the threats against the Islamic Republic of Iran continue … the resistance will continue,” the IRGC said.
On the Lebanese front, Israel accused Hezbollah of launching a drone at an Israeli vehicle inside Lebanon overnight, describing the incident as “a blatant violation of the ceasefire.”
Although Israel joined the United States during the initial phase of the war against Iran, it has not participated in the latest round of American strikes.
Iraq strikes
The joint US-Saudi operation in Iraq followed attacks on Saudi oil facilities by what Riyadh described as “terrorist militias loyal to Iran.”
The US military said it targeted logistics and weapons facilities belonging to an Iran-backed armed group.
Iraq’s Hashed al-Shaabi alliance said the strikes killed at least 20 of its members, condemning them as a “dangerous escalation” against what it described as “an official security institution.”
Two Hashed officials told AFP that five Iranian advisers were also among those killed, while AFP correspondents witnessed coffins draped in Iranian flags.
The Iraqi government condemned the operation, saying it rejects “all acts of aggression, regardless of the party responsible or the justifications presented.”
The Ministerial Council for National Security stated that Iraq would “confront any violation of Iraq’s sovereignty, and prevent any source from using Iraqi territory to threaten neighbouring states.”
However, according to Fox News, President Trump said the operation had been “coordinated with the Iraqi government.”
The strikes come amid increasing US pressure on Baghdad to disarm pro-Iran armed groups. Earlier this month, Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi visited both the United States and Iran.
Strait of Hormuz tensions
The United States had previously said the temporary pause in fighting was intended to facilitate a new round of negotiations, including discussions over the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has blockaded during much of the conflict.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards announced on Wednesday that they had intercepted and stopped three tankers in the strategic waterway, claiming Iran has “full control” of the strait.
Tehran has maintained that it will continue controlling the vital shipping route and has also announced plans to impose transit fees, a move opposed by Washington.
Oil prices edged lower on Thursday after rising sharply a day earlier.
The United States also unveiled new sanctions targeting entities linked to the IRGC, accusing them of extorting vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
The current conflict began on February 28, when the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran, prompting Tehran to retaliate with strikes on Israel and Gulf states hosting US military bases.
Since then, US-Israeli operations in Iran and Israeli military actions in Lebanon have killed thousands of people and displaced millions.
