U.S. and Iran exchange strikes after months-long standoff

Tehran, Iran. The United States and Iran exchanged strikes on Tuesday and Wednesday in their most significant confrontation in weeks, with Washington threatening further attacks and Tehran alleging that a U.S. strike killed five civilians and wounded dozens at a wedding.

Strikes and counterstrikes

U.S. Central Command said it struck Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps air defences, radar systems, maritime assets, mine-laying capabilities and communications sites on Tuesday.

Iranian media reported strikes on several targets near the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway where Tehran has threatened tankers attempting to pass without authorisation.

Iran said it struck U.S. assets in Jordan and Iraq, according to official statements. Iranian media also reported an attack on Bahrain.

The IRGC said it killed a large number of U.S. forces in Jordan, but two U.S. officials told Reuters that initial assessments indicated there had been no casualties.

Regional responses

Jordan’s armed forces said its air defence systems responded to 13 ballistic missiles that entered the kingdom’s airspace, intercepting 10. Three missiles fell in remote areas, it said.

Bahrain said Iranian drones were intercepted and destroyed.

The IRGC also said its ground forces carried out combined missile and drone attacks on U.S. bases in Erbil, northern Iraq, killing several U.S. personnel. Neither Iraq nor the United States had confirmed the reported attack.

Stalemate ends

The confrontation ended a months-long stalemate since July, during which both sides had largely avoided strikes while showing no appetite for talks.

Iran’s war-damaged economy and degraded conventional forces have left it stretched thin. Reuters reported last month that the U.S. Army had used much of its global stockpile of precision long-range missiles, raising concerns about U.S. readiness for future conflicts.

“I like our position now much better, with almost total control of the Hormuz Strait, and their economy totally collapsing,” Trump said.

“They are just playing out the inevitable. When are the Iranian people going to rise up and fight?”