Iran has conducted attacks on US military bases in Iraq and Jordan, as reported by local state media and the Jordanian Armed Forces, following US strikes against Iran that resumed on Tuesday. The Iranian Red Crescent stated that a US missile attack resulted in the deaths of four individuals, including a child, when shrapnel struck a home during a wedding celebration in Sirik, southern Iran. Over 50 people were reported injured in the incident.
US Central Command (Centcom) indicated that the strikes on Iran were in response to "recent attempted attacks" by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) against commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. The IRGC warned that the US would "regret" the strikes and subsequently launched ballistic missiles at a US Marine base in Aqaba, Jordan, as retaliation for the Sirik attack, according to Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency.
The Jordanian Armed Forces reported intercepting 13 ballistic missiles, with 10 destroyed and three landing in remote areas, resulting in no casualties. The national security center of Jordan had issued warnings to residents in Aqaba and Mafraq about falling debris, which have since been lifted. Separately, the Kuwait army stated that its air defenses were responding to Iranian missile attacks early Wednesday, and explosions were reported in Bahrain following the attacks.
Former President Donald Trump warned that Iran would face further strikes at "a much harder and higher level" if it retaliated after the US strikes were announced. This incident marks the first known US strikes on Iran since late July, when US forces targeted two rocket launchers on Larak Island in the Strait. Tehran retaliated by launching missiles at air bases in Jordan and a drone at the UAE.
Centcom confirmed that US forces began striking IRGC targets at 12:00 ET (16:00 GMT) and completed the strikes by early Wednesday. Iranian state media reported that projectiles hit areas including Chabahar, Konarak, and an airport in Jiroft, with explosions also heard in Qeshm Island and Bandar Abbas.
US Navy Captain Tim Hawkins, representing Centcom, acknowledged reports from Iranian state media regarding the attack in Sirik and stated, "The US military never targets civilians, unlike the IRGC."
The US and Israel had previously launched extensive strikes on Iran on February 28, leading to Iranian retaliation against Israel, US bases, and allied states in the Gulf, effectively closing the Strait of Hormuz to marine traffic. A ceasefire agreement between the US and Iran, signed in June, has expired, resulting in renewed hostilities. Both nations have targeted shipping, with Iran attacking vessels it claims attempted to cross the Strait without permission and the US enforcing a naval blockade on Iranian ports.
On August 24, Washington announced a new sanctions campaign aimed at further isolating Tehran and expanding secondary sanctions against its allies. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent mentioned at a G20 finance ministers meeting that many US allies expressed willingness to support the sanctions against Iran. Iranian officials and state media have largely dismissed the sanctions as a continuation of previous US economic measures, attributing them to Washington's military failures in the recent conflict. However, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian stated that if the US returned to honoring the agreement, Iran would reciprocate.