The United States and Iran exchanged their largest attacks in weeks on Tuesday and Wednesday, with US forces striking sites across southern Iran and Tehran retaliating by firing missiles and drones towards US-linked military facilities in Jordan, Bahrain, Kuwait and northern Iraq.
Iranian authorities also reported civilian deaths from the US operation, including five people killed when shrapnel struck a home hosting a wedding in southern Hormozgan province.
US Central Command said its September 1 operation targeted Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps air defence systems, radar installations, maritime assets, mine-laying capabilities and communications infrastructure. It said the strikes followed Iranian attempts to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and US personnel in the region.
Iranian media reported attacks around Bandar Abbas, Qeshm Island, Sirik, Konarak, Jask, Chabahar, Ahvaz and other locations close to the Gulf and Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian authorities said one strike near Kouhestak in Sirik County sent shrapnel into a residential property during a wedding reception. Iran’s Health Ministry said five people died, including a child, while reports put the number of wounded at between 50 and 68.
Seven more people died and eight suffered injuries in US missile strikes on three locations in Khuzestan province, Iranian state media reported, citing deputy governor Valiollah Hayati.
Iran launched retaliatory attacks within hours.
The IRGC said ballistic missiles struck Camp Titin, a US Marine Corps training site near Jordan’s Gulf of Aqaba, as well as Prince Hassan airbase. Tehran claimed the second attack hit hangars used for RQ-4 and MQ-9 drones and killed US personnel.
Those casualty claims remain disputed.
Jordan’s armed forces said 13 Iranian ballistic missiles entered its airspace. Air defences intercepted 10, while three landed in remote areas. Jordan reported no deaths or injuries.
Iran also announced missile and drone attacks against US facilities in Erbil in Iraq’s Kurdistan region. The IRGC said the strikes destroyed maintenance buildings, equipment warehouses and fuel storage facilities. US and Iraqi authorities had not confirmed those claims.
Bahrain said its air defences intercepted and destroyed Iranian drones after authorities issued repeated warnings telling residents to move to safe locations. Iran said it targeted radar installations and areas of Sheikh Isa airbase associated with US forces.
Kuwait also reported Iranian missiles and drones entering its airspace. Its military said air defences responded to the attacks.
Early Wednesday, the IRGC claimed that missile and drone strikes on Ali al-Salem airbase in Kuwait killed US personnel and damaged a drone hangar. Kuwait had previously reported no casualties.
Iranian commanders said further attacks would follow.
Colonel Ebrahim Zolfaghari, spokesman for Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, said operations against US forces would continue “until they regret their crimes”. IRGC political deputy General Yadollah Javani also warned Arab governments hosting American forces that bases used for attacks on Iran would face Iranian strikes.
US President Donald Trump issued his own threat after Washington’s operation, saying Iran would face attacks at a “much harder and higher level” if Tehran retaliated.
Trump later rejected reports that the strikes sought to force Iran back into negotiations.
“I’m not trying to force Iran to the bargaining table,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. He said Washington had “almost total control” of the Strait of Hormuz and questioned whether Iranian authorities would seek another agreement.
The latest attacks followed an exchange on August 31, when US forces struck Iran’s Larak Island and Tehran retaliated against US-linked military targets in Jordan and the United Arab Emirates, ending a month-long pause in direct attacks.
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