US and Iran Exchange Strikes as Fighting Escalates

The United States launched a new wave of airstrikes against Iran on Tuesday, prompting Iranian missile and drone attacks on US military assets across the region.

US Central Command said it targeted Iranian air defenses, radar systems, maritime assets, mine-laying capabilities and communications sites in response to attempted attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and on US forces.

Iranian officials said at least 12 people were killed and dozens injured in the US strikes. Five people were reported killed at a wedding near Sirik in southern Iran, while seven others died in strikes on three locations in Khuzestan Province. The figures could not be independently verified.

Iran subsequently launched ballistic missiles toward US military assets in Jordan. Iranian media also reported an attack on US forces in Bahrain, where authorities said Iranian drones had been intercepted and destroyed. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed missile and drone attacks on US bases in Erbil in northern Iraq, although neither Iraq nor the United States had confirmed the strikes.

Jordan said its air defenses dealt with 13 ballistic missiles that entered its airspace, intercepting 10 while three fell in remote areas. Kuwaiti authorities also reported that their air defenses had intercepted Iranian drones.

The exchange marked the most significant escalation between the United States and Iran in weeks.

(max)