London, Sept 2: The United States resumed strikes against Iran on Tuesday, sharply escalating hostilities after weeks of relative calm, the BBC reported, citing US Central Command (Centcom).
According to the BBC, Centcom said the strikes followed “recent attempted attacks” by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) against commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
The Iranian Red Crescent said four people, including a four-year-old child, were killed and more than 50 injured when shrapnel from a US missile struck a home where a wedding celebration was taking place in Sirik, southern Iran.
Iran retaliated by targeting US military bases in Iraq and Jordan, according to Iranian state media and the Jordanian Armed Forces, the BBC stated. Attacks were also reported in Kuwait and Bahrain.
The BBC reported that the IRGC warned the US would “regret” the strikes. Iran’s semiofficial Tasnim news agency said the IRGC later launched a barrage of ballistic missiles at a US Marine base in Jordan’s Aqaba in retaliation for the Sirik attack.
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According to the BBC, Jordan’s Armed Forces said 13 ballistic missiles entered its airspace, of which 10 were intercepted and three fell in remote areas. No deaths or injuries were reported.
The Kuwait army also said its air defences responded to Iranian missile attacks early Wednesday, while Iranian state media reported explosions in Bahrain, the BBC said.
US President Donald Trump had warned on Tuesday that Iran would face attacks at “a much harder and higher level” if it retaliated, the BBC reported.
The latest strikes followed the first known US attacks on Iran since late July. According to the BBC, US forces had struck two rocket launchers on Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz earlier this week, prompting Iran to fire missiles at air bases in Jordan and launch a drone toward the UAE.
Centcom said US forces began striking IRGC targets at 12:00 ET on Tuesday and completed the operation by early Wednesday, the BBC reported.
Iranian state media said the US strikes also affected areas around Chabahar and Konarak, an airport in Jiroft, Qeshm Island and Bandar Abbas, according to the BBC.
US Navy Captain Tim Hawkins, speaking for Centcom, told the BBC that US authorities were aware of reports about the Sirik attack. He said the US military “never targets civilians”.
The BBC reported that the conflict has continued since the US and Israel launched extensive strikes on Iran on February 28. Iran retaliated against Israel, US bases and allied states in the Gulf and effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz to maritime traffic.
A June agreement to extend a ceasefire has since expired, leading to renewed hostilities. Washington also announced fresh sanctions against Tehran on August 24.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian was quoted by state media as saying Iran would reciprocate if Washington returned to its commitments under the agreement, according to the BBC.
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