The United States military executed a “heavy wave of strikes” against Iran on Thursday, retaliating for Iranian missile attacks on American bases in Jordan and shattering a nearly week-long pause in the expanding Middle East conflict. The renewed violence has quickly dispelled any immediate prospect of negotiations between the long-time adversaries.
US President Donald Trump had pledged to strike Iran “hard” following Tehran’s missile barrage on Jordan, marking its first regional strike in days. American forces subsequently hit dozens of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targets, including military command centers, according to a statement from US Central Command (Centcom).
“The strikes aimed to further diminish threats posed by Iran and its proxies to American forces, commercial shipping, and neighboring Gulf countries,” Centcom said.
Civilian Casualties Reported in Southern Iran
Iranian state media reported that the strikes hit multiple locations. IRNA news agency cited hits on several cities in the southwestern Khuzestan province and on Qeshm island in the Gulf. Provincial authorities reported that areas around the cities of Abadan, Shadegan, Arvandkenar, and Ahvaz were struck.
On Qeshm island, an attack on a residential home resulted in civilian deaths. The Fars news agency, citing the Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, reported that a US attack in the Chah Tangu neighborhood killed three members of a family: the father, the mother, and their 2-year-old child. Two other children were injured in the strike.
Multi-Front War Intensifies Across the Region
The conflict continued to spill across borders. Saudi Arabia and the United States announced joint strikes on militant bases in Iraq, while US ally Israel accused the Lebanese group Hezbollah of violating a ceasefire. The world’s largest oil exporter, Saudi Arabia, has reported two consecutive days of drone attacks on its crude facilities, blaming Iraqi armed groups allied with Tehran.
Jordan’s army confirmed it intercepted five Iranian missiles on Thursday, after the IRGC stated it had targeted US bases within the kingdom. “As long as the threats against the Islamic Republic of Iran continue … the resistance will continue,” the IRGC declared.
On the Lebanese front, Israel accused Hezbollah of deploying a drone overnight against an Israeli vehicle inside Lebanon. The Israeli military called the act “a blatant violation of the ceasefire.” While Israel fought alongside the US in the initial weeks of the war against Iran, it has not yet participated in this latest round of direct strikes on the Islamic republic.
Iraq Denounces Joint US-Saudi Operation
In Iraq, the joint US-Saudi air operation targeted logistics and weapons sites belonging to an Iran-aligned group, according to the US military. The strikes followed attacks on Saudi oil facilities by what Riyadh labeled “terrorist militias loyal to Iran.”
The Hashed al-Shaabi alliance in Iraq reported that the attacks killed at least 20 of its members, denouncing a “dangerous escalation” against an “official security institution.” Two Hashed officials stated that five Iranian advisers were among the dead. AFP correspondents witnessed coffins draped with Iranian flags during funeral proceedings.
Iraq’s government condemned the strikes, with the Ministerial Council for National Security it would “confront any violation of Iraq’s sovereignty” and prevent its territory from being used to threaten neighboring states. However, Fox News reported that President Trump claimed the strikes were “coordinated with the Iraqi government.”
Strait of Hormuz and Economic Pressure
The short-lived cessation in fighting had been intended by the United States to pave the way for new negotiations, particularly over the strategic Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has blockaded for much of the war. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards announced on Wednesday they had attacked and stopped three tankers in the strait, asserting that Iran maintains “full control” of the critical waterway for global energy shipments.
Tehran has further insisted it will retain control over the conduit and announced plans to collect transit fees, a move Washington firmly opposes. Following a jump in prices the previous day, crude oil prices slipped on Thursday. The US also imposed new sanctions targeting entities linked to Iran’s Guards, accusing them of extorting ships transiting the strait.
The war initially erupted on February 28 when the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran, prompting Tehran to retaliate with strikes on Israel and Gulf states hosting US bases. The ongoing US-Israeli strikes on Iran and Israeli attacks on Lebanon have since killed thousands and displaced millions.
