U.S. strikes Iranian targets, Tehran retaliates with missiles and drones

The U.S. military carried out airstrikes on Iranian facilities on Tuesday, one of which hit a house hosting a wedding in Kuhestak, killing five people and injuring dozens, according to Hormozgan Province deputy governor Ahmad Nafisi. The attacks were said by U.S. Central Command to be a response to Iranian attempts to target commercial shipping and American forces in the Middle East.

In retaliation, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard launched ballistic missiles toward Jordan, claiming to have targeted a U.S. base on the Gulf of Aqaba. Jordanian forces reported intercepting ten of the missiles, with the remaining three landing in unpopulated areas. Iran also reported drone attacks on U.S. forces in Bahrain and on Kuwaiti air defenses, which the Kuwaiti army said it shot down.

Iranian state media said the U.S. strikes also hit civilian infrastructure, including a fish-meal factory on Qeshh Island, a fishing pier and a maritime tower in Sirik, and the civilian Jiroft Airport in Kerman province. The Iranian parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee chairman Ebrahim Azizi warned that “these crimes will not go unpunished.”

U.S. Central Command spokesperson Capt. Tim Hawkins acknowledged reports of civilian casualties but noted they originated from Iranian state media, adding that the U.S. military does not target civilians. The renewed fighting has raised global oil prices, with crude oil climbing more than 7% this week and U.S. gasoline prices reaching $4.10 per gallon.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, speaking at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, said Tehran would return to the interim cease-fire agreement if Washington does the same, referencing the June memorandum that called for an immediate cease-fire and a 60-day negotiation period.