Trump orders renewed US strikes after troops killed in Jordan
President Donald Trump ordered renewed US strikes on Iran after two American troops were killed in Jordan, as Tehran widened attacks across the Gulf.
- President Trump ordered new US strikes against Iran after an Iranian attack in Jordan killed two American service members.
- The stated goals of the US operation are to retaliate against Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and to weaken Iran's ability to threaten commercial shipping.
- Following the US strikes, Iran launched retaliatory attacks on US allies and military bases across the Gulf, including in Kuwait, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia.
- Iran's Supreme Leader accused the US of breaking a ceasefire and warned that Washington would face "heavier costs" for escalating the conflict.
The United States has launched another round of strikes against Iran after a month-old interim ceasefire collapsed last week, intensifying fears that the confrontation could return to full-scale war.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that the operation began at 6pm Eastern Time on Saturday under President Donald Trump’s direction. The action followed an Iranian attack in Jordan on Friday night that killed two US service personnel and left a third missing.
The latest fatalities raised the number of US military personnel killed since the conflict began to 16, while more than 420 have been wounded.
US targets threats to shipping and IRGC forces
CENTCOM described the renewed operation as an effort to weaken Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and to retaliate against Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces accused of attacking American personnel in Jordan.
Iran’s Mehr news agency reported a US strike near Sirik in southern Iran but recorded no casualties or damage to infrastructure.
Earlier American attacks had targeted Iranian surveillance facilities, military logistics networks, underground weapons storage sites and maritime capabilities.
Iranian state television reported that separate strikes in the southern province of Hormozgan, which borders the Strait of Hormuz, killed three people and injured eight. Two bridges and a road tunnel were also damaged.
Iran’s supreme leader warns Washington
Before the latest US operation, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei accused Washington of repeatedly breaching the ceasefire agreement.
In a statement distributed through his official social media accounts and Iranian state media, Khamenei declared that Trump’s signature was “utterly worthless and devoid of credibility”.
He also warned that the United States would face heavier costs and further humiliation for escalating the conflict. Khamenei’s current whereabouts remain unknown.
Iran widens attacks across the Gulf
Iranian forces and state media reported attacks against several US allies across the Gulf on Saturday, although Reuters was unable to independently verify a number of the claims.
Kuwait’s armed forces reported intercepting Iranian ballistic missiles and drones, while firefighters and oil-sector workers were injured as they responded to the attacks.
The IRGC claimed that it had struck a US military support centre at Camp Arifjan and destroyed a radar installation at Ali Al Salem Air Base. Kuwait Petroleum Corporation later reported that repeated Iranian attacks had caused significant damage and injuries at one of its oil facilities.
In Bahrain, Iranian media reported that the IRGC had targeted Sheikh Isa Air Base, where US combat aircraft were stationed, as well as an intelligence data centre.
Iranian state television also claimed that an early-morning missile and drone attack on the US base at Al Azraq in Jordan had destroyed at least two American fighter aircraft and three other aircraft.
Saudi Arabia’s early-warning system instructed residents of Al-Kharj and Yanbu to seek shelter after reports of an Iranian missile attack.
Al-Kharj, east of Riyadh, contains a military base hosting US troops, while Yanbu is home to a major oil export terminal on the Red Sea.
Two people briefed on the incident indicated that an Iranian missile had triggered the warnings, marking the first reported attack on Saudi Arabia in more than three months. The IRGC did not claim responsibility for any strike on the kingdom.
Death toll rises as battle over Hormuz continues
Iran’s Health Ministry reported that US strikes had killed 50 people and injured more than 500 across the country during the previous three weeks.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei accused Washington of attempting to take control of the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway that normally handles about one-fifth of global oil supplies.
The European Union and Gulf countries urged Iran to immediately and unconditionally halt its attacks and interference with maritime navigation. They also called for the strait to remain open without restrictions or fees.
Source: Reuters
