US and Iran Trade Strikes as Conflict Escalates
WASHINGTON/TEHRAN — The United States and Iran exchanged fire on Tuesday, with Tehran saying it had launched a “decisive” retaliatory operation against S. targets even as American strikes on Iranian territory continued. The flare-up marked a sharp escalation after a month without direct military action between the two countries.
Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that Iranian forces had begun a “decisive operation” against S. bases across the region. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), according to state broadcaster IRIB, said the latest fighting had “only tightened the lock on the Strait of Hormuz.”
Explosions were reported over the southern Jordanian city of Aqaba late Tuesday, and witnesses in Eilat, Israel, heard blasts. People in Jordan received phone alerts warning them to seek shelter because falling debris was possible.
What the S. Said It Was Targeting
S. Central Command confirmed that American forces were attacking targets belonging to the IRGC, saying the strikes followed recent Iranian attempts to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and S. troops deployed in the region. Central Command described the strikes as “limited” and “precise.”
The moves came after S. attacks Sunday that ended a month without direct military action. On Sunday, Central Command said American forces struck Iranian rocket launchers that were preparing to launch sea mines into the Strait of Hormuz. That followed an earlier S. strike on missile launchers on Larak Island in the strait.
Retaliation and Reported Casualties
Iranian reports said missiles were fired toward S. bases in Jordan and claimed an American MQ-9 military drone was shot down over Iran. The IRGC, describing the drone downing as the first action of its retaliation, said S. forces had struck locations along Iran’s southern coast, including civilian sites.
Iranian authorities said two civilians attending a wedding were killed in a strike in Sirik and that another 20 people were wounded. A separate report from the Iranian Red Crescent said four people, including a child, were killed and more than 50 wounded in a wedding strike in Kuhestak, in Hormozgan province.
Iranian state television reported that S. strikes hit a fishmeal factory on Qeshm Island, a fishing pier and a Ports and Maritime Organization tower in Sirik. A projectile also landed outside Jiroft Airport in Kerman province, causing no casualties or damage to airport infrastructure, according to state TV.
Explosions were reported in several southern coastal areas, including Bandar Abbas, Qeshm Island, Chabahar, Jask, Sirik and Minab.
Trump’s Threats and Statements
About 90 minutes after the strikes began, S. President Donald Trump said on Truth Social that the United States was carrying out “large and powerful” attacks on Iranian targets near the Strait of Hormuz. He said the strikes were retaliation for what he described as Iran’s failed attempt to lay sea mines in the strait and for the firing of eight missiles at a S. military base in Jordan, all of which he said were intercepted.
Trump warned that any further Iranian retaliation would trigger an attack at “a much harder and higher level,” adding that an even larger strike was still “waiting in the wings.”
“When it is over, there will be very little left of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” he wrote.
In an interview with Fox News, Trump repeated the threat, saying: “If they respond, they will be hit at a much greater level. And if they do it again, they won’t be there.” He described the Iranians as “crazy and stupid” and said the United States had also struck a radar installation that Tehran had been rebuilding.
“They tried to rebuild their radar because they can’t see anything,” Trump said. “We waited until it was almost completed, and then we hit it.”
Trump also expressed deep skepticism about the prospect of another agreement with Tehran, saying: “I think an agreement with them isn’t worth the paper it’s written on. We gave them many, many chances.”
At the same time, the S. Embassy in Jerusalem warned Americans in the Middle East that the security situation remained volatile and could escalate unexpectedly, advising heightened vigilance and warning of possible flight cancellations, airspace closures and travel disruptions. The embassy also noted that S. diplomatic facilities, including some outside the Middle East, had previously been targeted and that Iran and groups aligned with it could attack additional American interests overseas.
Economic and Political Repercussions
The renewed escalation sent energy prices sharply higher. Crude oil rose about 5% to around $90 a barrel, while Brent futures climbed roughly 7% to about $94.50. AFP reported that European gas prices reached their highest level since 2023.
The Strait of Hormuz is a strategic waterway through which approximately 20% of the world’s oil passes.
Trump had already vowed Monday to “hit hard” after Iranian missile and drone attacks on S. bases in Jordan and the United Arab Emirates overnight Sunday. Those attacks followed the earlier S. strike on Larak Island.
Trump told reporters Monday that the current operation was “very limited,” while arguing that Iran remained under severe economic strain. “That doesn’t mean we won’t hit them. We’ll see what happens.”
Iran’s Armed Forces General Staff and joint military command warned that the country would deliver “crushing and devastating blows” against the United States.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran was prepared to return to an interim ceasefire agreement if Washington did the same. That June agreement, which called for an immediate ceasefire and a 60-day period of negotiations aimed at reaching a broader settlement, later collapsed, with sporadic fighting continuing around the Strait of Hormuz.