The conflict between the US and Iran has escalated again with volleys of airstrikes, which both sides promise to be devastating.
US Central Command announced it had launched a fresh round of strikes on Iranian targets near the contested Strait of Hormuz about 7.30pm in Tehran.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: US escalates Iran sanctions and airstrikes
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The arm of the US Military said the strikes were in retaliation to “recent attempted attacks” by Iranian paramilitary group IRGC, targeted at “commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and against American service members deployed to the region”.
However, US President Donald Trump took to social media hours later claiming the attacks were also due to Iran trying to deploy mines to the vital shipping route.
“The strikes are large and powerful and in retaliation for the Iranians’ failed attempt at adding sea mines to the Strait, which currently has no mines,” Trump said, adding: “They have been completely removed or detonated.”
He also claimed Iran had shot eight missiles at a US military base in Jordan, all of which were “successfully knocked down”, before issuing a damning warning to Tehran.
“If the failed nation of Iran retaliates for this very justified attack, they will be hit again at a much harder and higher level,” Trump said.
“But it will not be the biggest attack of them all, that is waiting in the wings and, when it is over, there will be very little left of the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
Iranian state media has reported missile attacks in the southwestern city of Ahvaz and the southern city of Sirik, one of the closest to the Strait of Hormuz.
Local media reports suggest the attack on Sirik struck a wedding, citing the Iranian arm of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) while .
Four people, including a child, are believed to have been killed while more than 50 were injured.
Iran vows to retaliate
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei promised to hit back at the US, despite the warning from Trump.
“Dear Iran and the Resistance Front, it has unforgettable lessons for the American enemy,” Khamenei said in a post to X.
The IRGC announced soon after that it had launched missiles at a US military barracks in Jordan.
Jordan’s Security and Crisis Management Centre confirmed 10 of the 13 missiles had been intercepted, with the remaining three falling in “remote areas, far from population centres”.
“No injuries or loss of life were recorded,” the centre said.
Iranian news agency Tasnim reported a wave of drone strikes were also carried out at the Sheikh Isa Air Base in Bahrain, where US service members are stationed.
The Iranian military said any further attacks from the US would be met with “harsh and regrettable revenge”.
The Kuwaiti Army also confirmed it is “currently confronting hostile missile and drone attacks following the sinful Iranian aggression”.
It warned locals that any explosions are “the result of air defense systems intercepting the hostile attacks”.
“Everyone is kindly requested to adhere to the security and safety instructions issued by the competent authorities.”
