Strikes, missiles, and a wedding
U.S. Central Command said the latest strikes were in response to Tehran trying to attack commercial ships and American forces in the Middle East, while Iranian state media reported the U.S. bombed civilian sites along Iran’s southern coast and hit a civilian airport.
6abc PhiladelphiaIran’s Armed Forces General Staff and its joint military command said the armed forces would deliver what they described as “crushing and devastating blows” against the United States, and the state-run IRNA news agency cited a Revolutionary Guard warning that the attacks had tightened Iran’s effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
In response to the U.S. strikes, explosions were seen over the southern Jordanian city of Aqaba as Iran said it was retaliating, and Iranian state television reported U.S. strikes hit a fishmeal factory on Qeshm Island and several civilian sites in Hormozgan province.
The U.S. and Iran are both seeking control over the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway off Iran’s coast that normally carries 20% of the world’s oil, and oil prices moved sharply higher with crude up about 7% this week.
Competing claims and warnings
Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said a U.S. strike in Kuhestak Tuesday evening hit a wedding ceremony, describing it as a war crime, while the Iranian Red Crescent said at least four people were killed and 67 others were injured in the alleged attack.
U.S. Central Command spokesperson Capt. Tim Hawkins said, “We’re aware of the reports, which originated from Iranian state media. The U.S. military never targets civilians, unlike the IRGC,” as the U.S. completed its latest strikes on Iran, CENTCOM said in an X post.
ABC NewsThe Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned the U.S. against future action and warned other countries in the region against helping the U.S., saying, “This offensive operation will continue as a lesson against the Americans until they regret their crime,” in a statement published on state media.
In the region, Jordan and Kuwait said they intercepted new Iranian attacks on American bases, with Jordan saying it intercepted and destroyed 10 ballistic missiles launched from Iran and Kuwait saying its air defenses repelled “hostile drones” coming from Iran.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright said 17 million barrels of oil transited the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, calling it the highest level since the conflict began, as the ABC report tied the renewed fighting to the Strait of Hormuz as the primary flashpoint.
Oil, sanctions, and next moves
Iran’s leaders tied any return to ceasefire terms to U.S. commitments under the memorandum of understanding, with President Masoud Pezeshkian saying, “if the US returns to its commitments under the memorandum of understanding, the Islamic Republic of Iran will immediately reciprocate,” according to IRNA.
Pezeshkian said the MoU’s ceasefire collapsed within weeks and that “America’s commitment to the document signed by the president of that country lasted less than two weeks,” while Qatar’s Majed al-Ansari said the return of escalation was “in no one’s interest” and that Qatar is working to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
The U.S. and Iran also continued to trade threats over the Strait, with the U.S. Central Command posting that it began striking IRGC targets at 12:00 PM (16:00 GMT) and the U.S. Embassy in Qatar urging Americans to remain “highly vigilant” about possible flight cancellations, airspace closures, and travel disruptions.
As the conflict’s economic pressure intensified, the ABC report said President Donald Trump announced “major combat operations” against Iran on Feb. 28, and the 6abc report said the renewed fighting followed Trump’s pivot toward bending Iran to his will through economic sanctions.