WASHINGTON DC: The United States military says it has launched a “major wave” of strikes against Iran in retaliation for what it described as attempted ballistic missile attacks on American forces earlier this week.
According to US Central Command (CENTCOM), the operation targeted dozens of sites linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The strikes were carried out in response to Iranian missile launches aimed at US bases in Jordan and vessels operating in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian state media reported that at least three people were killed in the latest attacks, including a two-year-old child on Qeshm Island. Additional strikes were also reported in southern and western parts of the country.
The escalation marks another significant development in a week that has already seen the conflict widen, including the first publicly acknowledged joint US-Saudi strikes against Iran-backed groups in Iraq.
Tensions between Washington and Tehran have continued to intensify since a ceasefire agreed in April, intended to halt months of fighting, collapsed in June.
Since then, the United States has imposed a blockade on Iranian ports and conducted airstrikes on Iranian targets, while Iran has responded with missile and drone attacks on US-linked assets across the Middle East and against shipping in the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, which connects the Gulf to the Arabian Sea.
On Wednesday, Axios reported, citing an unnamed US official, that President Donald Trump met Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, who conveyed Saudi Arabia’s desire to reduce tensions. The White House has not yet publicly commented on the report.
Meanwhile, Egyptian authorities said a fire at a port on Wednesday was caused by a drone attack. Egypt, a close US ally, had not previously been directly targeted during the conflict.
The latest exchange of strikes has ended several days of relative calm and renewed fears of a broader regional confrontation between the United States and Iran.
(Inputs from BBC)
Comment