TEHRAN — Iran on Wednesday launched missile and drone attacks against US-linked targets in several Middle Eastern countries in retaliation for renewed US strikes on Iran, Iranian and regional officials said.
The escalation came after Iranian authorities reported that five people, including a child, were killed and over 50 injured when shrapnel hit a house during a wedding celebration in Sirik, southern Iran. The Red Crescent in Iran said that a US missile strike caused the casualties.
The US military said it was aware of the reports but denied deliberately targeting civilians.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the American strikes against Iran followed what it described as recent attempted attacks by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) against commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and US forces in the region.
The IRGC warned the United States of the consequences of the strikes.
Reported Iranian strikes around the region
Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that Iranian missiles struck a US Marine facility near Aqaba in Jordan.
Jordan’s military said its air-defence systems had intercepted 13 ballistic missiles. Ten were destroyed and three fell in remote areas, officials said. The Iranian strike did not result in any injuries or deaths.
Jordan's authorities also warned residents in the Aqaba and Mafraq governorates about possible falling debris. The warning was later called off.
Kuwait's military said its air-defence systems were responding to Iranian missile attacks early on Wednesday.
Iranian state media reported the attacks as Iranian attacks. Several explosions were also reported in Bahrain. Details of the targets and any casualties were not immediately available.
The IRGC said it attacked US bases in the autonomous Kurdistan region of Iraq with missiles and drones. The strikes destroyed a maintenance centre, warehouses and equipment, Iran's state news agency IRNA reported. The claims could not be independently verified.
US hits IRGC targets
US forces carried out strikes against targets connected to the IRGC at 12:00 ET (16:00 GMT) on Tuesday and concluded the operation early Wednesday, CENTCOM said.
The US military was aware of reports concerning the incident in Sirik, US Navy Capt Tim Hawkins, speaking for CENTCOM, said.
“The US military never targets civilians,” Hawkins said.
Iranian state media also reported explosions and possible strikes in a number of locations, including Chabahar, Konarak, Jiroft, Qeshm Island and Bandar Abbas. The reports did not contain enough independently verifiable information to determine the extent of the damage.
US President Donald Trump warned on Tuesday that if Iran retaliates, it would face further strikes at a “much harder and higher level”.
The latest exchange comes after what the source describes as the first known US strikes on Iran since late July. Earlier this week, US forces reportedly hit two rocket launchers on Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran then launched missiles at U.S.-linked air bases in Jordan and a drone toward the United Arab Emirates.
Ceasefire agreement, rising tensions
The latest fighting follows months of increasing tensions between Washington and Tehran.
The United States and Israel carried out extensive strikes on Iran on 28 February, prompting Iranian attacks on Israel, US military bases and allied states in the Gulf. The conflict also severely disrupted maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
In June, an agreement was signed between the US and Iran, described in the source as a Memorandum of Understanding, to try to extend a ceasefire. The source said the agreement has since expired.
Both countries have also targeted shipping in and around the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has seized ships that it says tried to pass through the strait without its consent, and the United States has imposed maritime restrictions on Iranian ports.
On August 24 Washington announced another sanctions drive, targeting Iran and extending secondary sanctions to countries and entities supporting Tehran.
Several U.S. allies said they would act on the sanctions, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told a meeting of G20 finance ministers.
Iranian officials and state media have downplayed the latest U.S. economic measures as a continuation of previous sanctions.
Iranian state media also quoted Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Tuesday as saying Tehran would respond in kind if Washington returned to its commitments under the deal.
The latest attacks raise the stakes for a further escalation between Iran and the US, especially around US military sites and shipping lanes in the Gulf and Strait of Hormuz.
