Iran’s Revolutionary Guards struck a US base in Jordan and 21 other targets across the Gulf on Wednesday in retaliation for American strikes near the Strait of Hormuz, marking one of the biggest exchanges of hostilities since the two countries agreed a ceasefire in April.
The Iranian strikes, which included attacks in Kuwait and Bahrain, came after the US military said it had targeted Iranian air defence systems, ground control stations and surveillance radar sites near the strait in response to what President Donald Trump said was the downing of a US Apache helicopter on Tuesday.
“I believe the response should be very strong, very powerful, and that’s what this one is,” Trump told ABC News.
A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said initial assessments showed nearly all Iranian missiles and drones had been intercepted, with no immediate reports of harm to US personnel or damage to US facilities. Reuters could not immediately verify the battlefield reports. The Pentagon did not respond to a request for comment. Oil prices climbed around 1% in early Asian trading following the escalation.
STRIKES ACROSS THE REGION
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they targeted four sites at the US al-Azraq base in Jordan using long-range missiles, including F-35 fighter jet hangars and a command-and-control centre, warning they were prepared to deliver a “crushing and decisive” response to any further US attack. Jordan’s armed forces said they had intercepted and shot down five missiles launched from Iran, with debris falling on Jordanian territory but causing no injuries or material damage.
In Kuwait, the army said its air defence systems were engaging hostile aerial targets after the Guards said they had struck the Ali Al Salem base with drones. Bahrain’s Interior Ministry sounded a public warning siren, though a media adviser to the king said air defences had repelled the Iranian attacks.
The US strikes, which lasted around four hours, targeted Iranian positions near Hormuz. A US official said almost 20 Iranian targets had been struck. Iran’s state media reported that Qeshm island and the port city of Sirik were attacked, with explosions heard in Bandar Abbas and later near Jask, close to the strait’s entrance.
APACHE HELICOPTER THE TRIGGER
The escalation was triggered by the downing of a US Apache helicopter by an Iranian one-way attack drone on Tuesday, according to a US official speaking on condition of anonymity. The two pilots were rescued by a US Navy surface drone after the army attack helicopter went down in waters near Oman’s coast at around 0300 local time. Trump said the pilots were uninjured, though US Central Command described them as in stable condition.
Trump told the Wall Street Journal the helicopter incident “wasn’t a big deal” and stressed that “the pilot is fine.” Iran’s state media cited a military source saying no offensive air operations had been conducted in the strait in the preceding 24 hours. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi did not directly address the incident but wrote on X that foreign forces in the region risked being caught up in “accidents or crossfire,” adding: “To reduce risk, best solution is for them to leave.”
PEACE PROSPECTS CLOUDED
The exchange deepens doubts about the prospects for a deal to end the war, which began on 28 February with joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran. Trump has repeatedly insisted Washington and Tehran are close to an agreement, though there have been few signs of progress since the tenuous ceasefire took effect in April.
Iran has maintained restrictions on most shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, which carried a fifth of global crude oil and liquefied natural gas before the war. Washington has imposed its own blockade of Iranian ports. US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said on Tuesday that ship traffic through Hormuz was rising “very meaningfully” but that it would take many months to return to normal once the war ended.
Trump has said any peace deal must prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. Iran denies seeking one. Tehran’s demands include the lifting of international sanctions, the release of frozen assets and recognition of its authority over the strait.
(Reuters)