Iran launched retaliatory strikes targeting American interests across the Middle East, including Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan, after a U.S. military attack struck a home hosting a wedding ceremony in southern Iran, according to state media and regional officials.
Iran Launches Regional Strikes Following Deadly US Attack on Wedding Party
The renewed hostilities erupted after U.S. forces conducted strikes in Iran following what Washington described as recent attempted attacks by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps against commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and American service members deployed in the region. The intermittent war between the two nations has lasted more than six months, following an initial outbreak of conflict on Feb. 28.
Casualties and Damage Reported in Southern Iran
According to the Iranian Red Crescent, shrapnel from a U.S. missile attack hit a residential home where a wedding celebration was taking place in the city of Kuhestak, located in Sirik county within Hormozgan province. Reports on the exact death toll varied: the Iranian Red Crescent initially stated that five people, including a child, were killed, while a provincial official and other reports cited at least four dead. More than 50 people were wounded in the blast.
Video footage shared by an Iranian government account showed extensive debris and damage at the wedding site in Sirik, with people screaming in the background. Additional U.S. strikes hit a fishmeal factory on Qeshm Island, a fishing pier and a Ports and Maritime Organization tower in Sirik, and civilian sites across Hormozgan province. Explosions were also reported in Bandar Abbas, Chabahar, Konarak, and at the civilian Jiroft Airport in Kerman province.
U.S. Central Command spokesperson Captain Tim Hawkins stated that the U.S. military never targets civilians, attributing civilian harm to the actions of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards. U.S. President Donald Trump defended the operations as justified retaliation, warning Tehran against further escalation.
Retaliatory Missiles Target US Interests Across the Region
In response to the American strikes, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards launched an intense ballistic missile attack targeting the U.S. Marine Corps base Camp Titin in Jordan, according to Iranian state outlets. The Jordanian army reported that it intercepted 10 ballistic missiles fired from Iran, while three additional missiles landed in remote areas away from population centers. Jordanian authorities did not confirm any injuries or direct hits on the training camp. U.S. officials confirmed that no U.S. casualties had been reported from the attack in Jordan.
Missile and drone attacks were also reported in Kuwait, and alert sirens for airborne attacks sounded early Wednesday in Bahrain. Revolutionary Guards spokesman Hossein Mohebbi warned that Washington would regret its new attacks, stating that severe punishment awaited the aggressors.
Strait of Hormuz and Global Energy Stakes
The military escalation centers heavily on the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway off Iran’s coast through which 20% of the world’s oil normally flows. Tehran effectively closed the vital shipping lane after the war began. Despite threats from President Trump of severe responses and warnings from U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent regarding upcoming new economic sanctions, Tehran remained defiant, vowing to prevent oil exports from the Gulf.
Amid the widening regional instability, the U.S. Embassy in Qatar urged American citizens currently in the Middle East to exercise heightened vigilance regarding potential flight cancellations, airspace closures, and travel disruptions.
По теме
