The US military executed a heavy wave of strikes on Iran on Thursday in retaliation for Tehran’s bombing of American sites in Jordan, as hostilities resumed in the Middle East war after a nearly week-long pause.
The renewed hostilities have brought in the Islamic republic’s proxies, dashing hopes for a rapid return to diplomacy between the enemies.
US President Donald Trump threatened to punish Iran “hard” after Tehran launched missiles at Jordan, its first regional strike in days.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) reported that American forces “successfully completed a heavy wave of strikes against Iran,” hitting dozens of Islamic Revolutionary Guard targets, including military command centers.
Iran’s national news agency, IRNA, reported strikes across various cities in the southeastern Khuzestan region, as well as Qeshm Island in the Persian Gulf.
Provincial officials cited by the agency stated that the barrage hit areas surrounding the Khuzestan cities of Abadan, Shadegan, Arvandkenar, and Ahvaz.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) reported that American forces “successfully completed a heavy wave of strikes against Iran,” hitting dozens of Islamic Revolutionary Guard targets, including military command centers.
Iran’s national news agency, IRNA, reported strikes across various cities in the southeastern Khuzestan region, as well as Qeshm Island in the Persian Gulf.
Provincial officials cited by the agency stated that the barrage hit areas surrounding the Khuzestan cities of Abadan, Shadegan, Arvandkenar, and Ahvaz.
Saudi Arabia and the United States launched raids on militant camps in Iraq on Wednesday, signaling the war’s expansion, while US ally Israel accused Iran-backed Hezbollah of violating the truce.
Jordan’s army said it intercepted five Iranian missiles after Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) claimed it had struck US bases there.
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The coordinated US-Saudi air campaign in Iraq followed strikes on Saudi oil infrastructure by what Riyadh described as “terrorist militias loyal to Iran.”
The US military stated that the strikes targeted logistics hubs and weapons caches linked to an Iran-aligned force.
The Hashed al-Shaabi coalition in Iraq reported that the bombardment killed at least 20 of its fighters.
Two Hashed officials confirmed that the strikes killed five Iranian advisors, while AFP correspondents witnessed coffins draped in Iranian flags at the scene.
The Iraqi government formed the Hashed al-Shaabi alliance—also known as the Popular Mobilisation Forces—in 2014 to combat jihadists before integrating the coalition into the regular military.
The alliance comprises brigades from Iran-backed militias known for acting unilaterally.
Iraq denounced the US-Saudi strikes and said it rejects “all acts of aggression, regardless of the party responsible or the justifications presented”.
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