US forces launched a new wave of strikes across Iran on Thursday, after a recent five-night pause, triggering further Iranian attacks in Jordan and Kuwait. Iranian media said a couple and their two-year-old child died when a residential building was hit on Qeshm Island. Two other children of the family were injured and orphaned.
US Central Command claimed the operation hit dozens of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps sites, including command centres, missile and drone facilities, coastal surveillance systems and maritime assets.
The strikes began on Wednesday evening in the United States and continued into Thursday morning in the Middle East. Central Command described the operation as a response to Iranian missile attacks against US forces stationed in Jordan.
The Pentagon said the Iranian missiles fired at US positions a day earlier had been intercepted. Jordan’s armed forces said its air defence systems shot down five Iranian missiles aimed at targets inside the kingdom. Iranian sources say the missiles did hit their targets, destroying 3 F35 jets and killing some US personnel.
The new exchange followed several days without direct US strikes on Iran. Washington had halted a 13-night bombing campaign last Friday after hitting Iranian military sites, as well as transport, energy and civilian infrastructure.
US President Donald Trump said before the latest operation that the United States would strike Iran “very hard” in response to the attack on American forces.
Iranian state media reported attacks in Qeshm, Abadan, Ahvaz, Bushehr, Kazerun and Farashband. Power cuts followed explosions in Ahvaz, a city in the oil-producing province of Khuzestan.
Fars News Agency said a father, mother and their two-year-old child died when a house was struck in the Chah Tangu area of Qeshm.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard also said a US missile strike killed three of its personnel. Iranian media named them as Mahmoud Mollajabari, Mohammadreza Cheraghi and Jamal Amiri.
Central Command claims its operation sought to reduce threats to US forces, commercial shipping and Gulf states.
Iran said its strikes followed American attacks on its territory and vessels. The Revolutionary Guard claimed that ballistic missiles hit a runway and maintenance facilities at Jordan’s al-Azraq airbase, which hosts US aircraft.
The force said three US F-35 fighter jets were destroyed and three others sustained damage. It also claimed that American officers and technical staff died in the attack.
The US military denied those claims. It said no American aircraft had been destroyed or damaged.
Kuwait claimed an Iranian strike hit a building owned by a Chinese company in the north of the country. Major-General Saud Abdulaziz al-Otaibi said one worker died and the building suffered damage.
The conflict also spread to Egypt after a drone struck two vessels at the Mediterranean port of Damietta on Wednesday. The Egyptian government said preliminary findings indicated a drone caused the fire.
British maritime security company Ambrey said the drone hit the US-owned floating gas storage tanker Energos Winter, with the fire spreading to the Gaslog Salem. No injuries were reported.
The incident marked the first reported attack on Egyptian territory since the conflict began
The United States and Saudi Arabia carried out joint strikes in eastern Iraq earlier in the week. Central Command said the operation targeted weapons and logistics sites linked to Iran-backed groups.
Iraq’s Popular Mobilisation Forces said at least 20 fighters died and 32 suffered injuries. Iranian officials also reported the deaths of advisers from Tehran.
Iraq’s presidency condemned the attacks as a violation of national sovereignty. Trump told Fox News that Washington had coordinated the operation with the Iraqi government.
Iran also pressed European governments over the use of military bases by US forces.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi urged Bulgaria to reverse approval for the temporary stationing of US tanker aircraft and personnel at Bezmer airbase. Bulgaria said the deployment contained no offensive weapons and did not make the country a participant in attacks on Iran.
Araqchi also spoke with Cypriot Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos and urged Cyprus to prevent foreign bases on the island from supporting operations against Iran.
Cyprus hosts two British sovereign base areas, including RAF Akrotiri. An Iranian drone struck the base in March, days after US and Israeli attacks on Iran began.
Diplomatic efforts continued despite the attacks.
Pakistan said it was trying to bring Washington and Tehran back to negotiations under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding.
“Negotiations between parties are ongoing, particularly on the Strait of Hormuz and to de-escalate,” Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi told reporters.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Iranian and Omani officials had held several rounds of talks in Tehran over the Strait of Hormuz.
Baghaei says the closure of the waterway was due to US and Israeli military operations. He said attacks on Iranian vessels, restrictions on ports and continued bombing had damaged international shipping.
Washington rejects that account and accuses Tehran of using control of the strait to pressure governments and commercial operators.
The US Treasury imposed sanctions on two Iranian companies that it accused of taking part in an insurance scheme backed by the Revolutionary Guard. Washington said vessels had been forced to buy cover before travelling through the strait.
The waterway carries a large share of the world’s oil and gas exports. Disruption has driven price changes and increased shipping costs across the Gulf and Red Sea.
Brent crude traded above $90 a barrel during Thursday before giving up earlier gains.
US public support for the war has fallen, according to recent polling. A survey by the Associated Press and the NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that about two-thirds of US adults viewed the conflict as lacking a purpose and not worth continuing. Two in 10 supported further military operations, while three in 10 favoured an end to attacks and another attempt at a negotiated ceasefire.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll published on 27 July showed that public support for the war in the United States remains below 40 per cent.
The survey found that only one in three Americans support the conflict, while 69 per cent said Trump has not clearly explained its objectives. Trump’s approval rating rose three points to 37 per cent.
The conflict began when the United States and Israel launched illegal attacks on Iran on February 28, 2026, in the middle of ongoing negotiations. A memorandum of understanding was signed on June 17, 2026, but it was soon undermined by U.S. violations of its commitments, leading to the breakdown of the agreement and a renewed escalation of hostilities. The Strait of Hormuz was open and free before the US/Israeli aggression.
HT