- US military earlier struck Iranian targets near the Strait of Hormuz
- Tit-for-tat attacks come after US helicopter downed near Strait, two crew rescued
- Escalation threatens fragile ceasefire, longer-term peace plan
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they carried out missile and drone attacks on U.S. military bases in Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain today (Wednesday) in retaliation for American strikes on Iranian targets around the Strait of Hormuz.
The clashes mark one of the biggest exchanges in hostilities since the two countries agreed to a ceasefire in April and came after U.S. President Donald Trump said Iran had downed a U.S. Apache helicopter near the strait on Tuesday.
“I believe the response should be very strong, very powerful, and that’s what this one is,” Trump told ABC News on Tuesday.
The escalation in violence deepens doubts about the prospects for a deal to end the war that started on February 28 with joint U.S.-Israeli strikes against Iran. Tehran responded by firing on Gulf neighbors that host U.S. bases and all but choked off the strait, a vital conduit for oil and gas.
The latest U.S. strikes targeted Iranian air defence, ground control stations and surveillance radar sites, according to the U.S. military. They lasted around four hours before the U.S. Central Command posted just before 9 p.m. ET (0100 GMT Wednesday) that they had ended. A U.S. official said almost 20 Iranian targets had been struck.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Qeshm island and the port city of Sirik in the Strait of Hormuz came under attack, while explosions were heard in Bandar Abbas and later near Jask at the entrance to the strait, Iranian media reported, citing local sources and residents.
The IRGC said it had attacked U.S. military bases in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan with drones, and missiles in response to the new “U.S. aggression”, according to Reuters.
Four sites were targeted at the U.S. al-Azraq base in Jordan using long-range missiles, including F-35 fighter jet hangars and a command-and-control centre, and the IRGC warned it was ready to deliver a “crushing and decisive” response to any further U.S. attack.
Jordan’s military said on Wednesday it had intercepted and shot down five missiles launched from Iran toward al-Azraq. Debris from the interception operation fell on Jordanian territory but caused no injuries or material damage, it added.
The Kuwaiti army said its air defence systems were engaging hostile aerial targets and urged the public to follow official safety instructions, while Bahrain’s air defences had repelled Iranian attacks, a media adviser to Bahrain’s king said in a post on X.
In a statement, Iran’s Foreign Ministry condemned U.S. strikes in the country’s south, saying Tehran acted in self-defence, and warned Gulf states they would face consequences if their territory was used by U.S. or Israeli forces, vowing to target the sources of any future attacks.
A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said initial assessments showed nearly all missiles and drones launched by Iran were intercepted and they were not immediately aware of any reports of harm to U.S. personnel or damage to U.S. locations.
The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Reuters could not immediately verify the battlefield reports.
