The US launched a new wave of strikes against Iran in response to attacks on American military bases in the Middle East, escalating a conflict that has spread across the region.
- +US launches new wave of strikes on Iran as war escalates, spreading to Egypt
The US struck dozens of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targets “including military command centers, missile and drone facilities, coastal surveillance and defense sites, and maritime capabilities,” US Central Command said in a Wednesday night post on X.
The US struck dozens of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targets “including military command centers, missile and drone facilities, coastal surveillance and defense sites, and maritime capabilities,” US Central Command said in a Wednesday night post on X.
“The strikes aimed to further diminish threats posed by Iran and its proxies to American forces, commercial shipping, and neighboring Gulf countries,” the command added. While Centcom described the strikes as a “heavy wave,” there was no indication the latest operation had targeted key bridges or other civilian infrastructure that would signal a major expansion of the US military campaign.
“We’re going to be hitting them very hard because it’s our turn to hit them,” President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House on Wednesday afternoon. “They know what’s coming. They’re asking us not to do it.”
The US and Iran had paused an exchange of strikes at the end of last week in an effort to further diplomatic talks and bring an end to the months-long war. Yet that lull ended Tuesday night when the Guard Corps carried out a surprise assault, firing multiple ballistic missiles at an American military base in Jordan.
US officials said all of the incoming missiles were intercepted, but the attack sent oil prices soaring as markets feared a return to all-out war.
The resumption of hostilities came just hours after Trump had claimed Washington and Tehran were making progress in discussions and that he preferred a deal with Iran rather than ordering more strikes. The president struck a fiery tone on Wednesday morning after Iran’s overnight attacks, telling a Fox News reporter in a phone interview that he intended to hit back “hard.”
Instead of winding down, the Iran war appears to be expanding.
The US and Saudi Arabia struck Iran-backed militias in Iraq on Tuesday after Riyadh said it had countered drones launched by Iraqi groups targeting its oil facilities. Iran-backed Houthi militants in Yemen have also attacked vessels in the Red Sea.
