US resumes strikes on Iran as Strait of Hormuz tensions escalate
American forces targeted IRGC assets in response to shipping attacks, prompting ballistic missile retaliation at a US Marine base in Jordan.
US Central Command announced that American forces resumed strikes against Iran on Tuesday, citing recent attempted attacks by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and US service members. The military stated that operations began at 12:00 ET (16:00 GMT), targeting IRGC assets across the region.
The resumption of hostilities follows the first known US strikes on Iran since late July, when forces attacked two rocket launchers on Larak Island. Tehran had retaliated by firing missiles at air bases in Jordan and a drone at the United Arab Emirates. This latest escalation occurs after a US-Iran agreement, known as the Memorandum of Understanding, to extend a ceasefire signed in June has expired.
The Iranian Red Crescent reported that four people, including a young child, were killed and more than 50 injured when shrapnel from a US missile hit a home during a wedding celebration in Sirik, southern Iran. Other reports indicated that projectiles struck areas including Chabahar, Konarak, and an airport in Jiroft, while explosions were heard in Qeshm Island and Bandar Abbas.
In retaliation, the IRGC launched a barrage of ballistic missiles at a US Marine base in Jordan’s Aqaba. Jordan’s national security centre warned residents of the Aqaba and Mafraq governates of falling debris, a warning that has since ended. Iranian news agencies reported that broader retaliatory missile and drone attacks on US targets had also begun.
President Donald Trump warned that Iran would be hit again at a "much harder and higher level" if it continued to retaliate. He described Tuesday's strikes as a response to Iran's targeting of a US military base in Jordan and added that the country had "failed" at adding sea mines to the Strait.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian suggested a path to de-escalation, stating that Iran would reciprocate if the US returned to committing to the expired agreement. The backdrop includes a fresh US sanctions campaign announced on 24 August, which Iranian officials have largely dismissed as a continuation of previous economic measures.
