Iran has launched retaliatory attacks against US military positions in the Middle East after American forces carried out fresh strikes on Iran, with the escalation reportedly killing four people at a wedding gathering.
US Central Command (Centcom) said American forces resumed strikes against Iran on Tuesday following what it described as “recent attempted attacks” by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
The Iranian Red Crescent said four people, including a four-year-old child, were killed and more than 50 others injured after shrapnel from a US missile strike hit a home in Sirik, southern Iran, where a wedding celebration was taking place.
Iran responded with attacks targeting US military bases in Iraq and Jordan, while further attacks were reported in Kuwait and Bahrain, according to local state media and authorities in the affected countries.
Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that the IRGC later launched a barrage of ballistic missiles towards a US Marine base in Jordan’s Aqaba. The Jordanian Armed Forces said it intercepted 13 ballistic missiles, destroying 10, while three landed in remote areas. No deaths or injuries were reported.
Kuwait’s military also said its air defences were responding to Iranian missile attacks early Wednesday, while several explosions were reported in Bahrain following Iranian attacks, according to Iranian state media.
The IRGC warned that the US would “regret” its strikes. US President Donald Trump had earlier warned that Iran would face attacks at “a much harder and higher level” if it retaliated.
Centcom said its strikes against IRGC targets began at noon US Eastern Time on Tuesday and were completed by early Wednesday. US Navy Captain Tim Hawkins, speaking for Centcom, said the US was aware of Iranian reports about casualties in Sirik and maintained that the US military does not target civilians.
The latest escalation follows US strikes earlier this week against two rocket launchers on Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran answered with missile attacks on air bases in Jordan and a drone attack on the United Arab Emirates.
The US and Israel launched a wider campaign of strikes against Iran on February 28, prompting Tehran to attack Israel, US bases and allied states across the Gulf. The conflict also effectively shut the Strait of Hormuz to maritime traffic.
A US-Iran agreement to extend a ceasefire expired in June, with hostilities subsequently resuming. Both sides have since carried out attacks involving commercial shipping, while Washington has enforced a naval blockade of Iranian ports.
Washington also announced a new sanctions campaign on August 24 aimed at increasing pressure on Tehran and expanding secondary sanctions against countries and entities supporting Iran.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian was quoted by state media on Tuesday as saying Tehran would reciprocate if Washington returned to its previous agreement, signalling that a diplomatic route could remain possible despite the renewed fighting.
