U.S. forces have concluded a series of intensive strikes against Iran in response to Tuesday’s attempted ballistic missile assaults on American troops.
Centcom reported that it struck dozens of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) facilities in retaliation for Iranian attacks on U.S. bases in Jordan and naval vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian state media reported that three individuals were killed, among them a two‑year‑old child, on Qeshm Island, with additional strikes hitting locations in the southern and western parts of the country.
The latest round of fighting follows a week of escalating tensions, highlighted by the first publicly disclosed joint U.S.-Saudi operation targeting Iranian-backed proxies in Iraq.
During the U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Iran in February, President Donald Trump predicted a short conflict lasting only weeks; however, the hostilities have continued for five months without resolution.
According to Axios, an unnamed U.S. official reported that President Trump met with Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, who expressed Saudi Arabia’s desire to reduce regional tensions. The BBC has sought comment from the White House.
The U.S.-Iran conflict has flared anew after a period of relative calm in recent days.
For several days, both sides halted strikes while tentative talks were said to have resumed in pursuit of a diplomatic resolution. Trump described the discussions as “very friendly negotiations,” though Tehran denied any talks were taking place.
Following Iran’s missile strike on a U.S. base in Jordan on Tuesday, President Trump vowed retaliation. Speaking at the White House, he said, “We’re going to hit them very hard because it’s our turn to hit them. They know it’s coming. They asked us not to do it.”
The most recent U.S. strike wave commenced at 20:00 ET on Wednesday (01:00 BST on Thursday) and endured for approximately one hour. Centcom described the operation as a “potent response to yesterday’s attempted Iranian attacks on U.S. forces in the Middle East,” adding that all Iranian missiles were intercepted.
The U.S. strikes targeted “military command centers, missile and drone facilities, coastal surveillance and defense installations, and maritime capabilities,” according to Centcom’s post‑strike statement.
Iranian state media outlet Irib reported that the islands of Qeshm and Abadan, both vital to the oil sector, were among the targeted locations.
A U.S. strike on a residential home in Qeshm’s Chah Tangu neighbourhood resulted in the deaths of three family members—the father, mother, and their two‑year‑old child—according to Fars, citing the Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences.
Jordan’s armed forces reported that air‑defence systems intercepted five Iranian missiles aimed at the kingdom’s territory on Thursday.
On Tuesday, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it had struck a U.S. air base and a command centre in Jordan, alleging it was “in response to the acts of aggression of the American child‑killing army.”
IRGC naval forces also attacked three oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz after they “ignored warnings” and traversed what it called an “unsafe and illegal route” through the strategic Gulf waterway.
Last Friday, President Trump halted an intensive bombing campaign that had persisted for 13 consecutive nights. The United States stated that Iranian weapons and military installations were targeted, with reports of numerous fatalities.
On Tuesday, Centcom announced that joint U.S.-Saudi strikes hit multiple terrorist logistics and weapons sites across eastern Iraq, delivering a robust response to more than 30 IRGC‑directed drone attacks in the preceding 72 hours.
Irak’s Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), dominated by Iran‑backed Shia militias, reported that at least 20 of its members were killed in the U.S.-Saudi strikes on their bases.
The Iraqi presidency condemned the bombing of the PMF bases, describing it as “an unacceptable attack and a blatant violation of Iraq’s sovereignty.”
President Trump, however, told Fox News that the strikes had been “coordinated with the Iraqi government.”
Saudi Arabia, regarding itself as the leading Sunni Muslim power, and Iran, the largest Shia Muslim nation, have been engaged in a protracted struggle for regional supremacy for decades.
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