- American forces resumed strikes against Iran on Tuesday, according to US Central Command (Centcom).
- US forces began striking IRGC targets at 12:00 ET (16:00 GMT), according to Centcom.
- The US launched new airstrikes on Iranian targets on Tuesday, quashing hopes that an exchange of fire last weekend might not presage a wider renewal of hostilities.
- The IRGC warned that the US would regret the strikes, while President Donald Trump threatened a much harder and higher level of attack if Iran retaliated.
- Trump confirmed the "large and powerful" strikes, citing Iran's missile attack on a US base in Jordan and its failed attempt to add sea mines to the Strait, and threatened further attacks.
- US Central Command announced the strikes, targeting Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in Iran, following attempted attacks by the IRGC against commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and against American service members.
- The US president warned of a response to Iranian strikes but said they did not signal a return to full-scale war, while a senior Iranian source called them a "limited and contained confrontation".
- Iranian officials responded with defiance: the Fars news agency quoted an IRGC spokesperson saying the US "will regret its new attacks", and Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, Iran's parliament speaker, warned that if the US wanted to prevent oil exports, "no one will be able to export oil".
- Iran's president Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran would reciprocate immediately if Washington honored its commitments under a June memorandum of understanding (MOU) intended to halt the conflict.
The U.S. military escalated its operations against Iran on Tuesday, launching airstrikes targeting the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in response to recent attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.6
"Today at 12 p.m. ET (1600 GMT), U.S. forces began striking Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targets in Iran," stated U.S. Central Command. The strikes come after Iran allegedly fired missiles at U.S. military bases in Jordan, prompting President Trump to declare that Iran had "failed" in its attempts to disrupt shipping lanes.
"If the enemy wants us not to export oil from the Persian Gulf, no one will be able to export oil," warned Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, indicating a potential escalation in hostilities.89
The conflict, which had previously shifted to an economic standoff, saw U.S. forces targeting two rocket launchers on Larak Island earlier in the week.
Trump emphasized that any Iranian retaliation would be met with a stronger response, stating, "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 officials, including an IRGC spokesperson, have vowed that the U.S. will regret its actions, with President Masoud Pezeshkian asserting that Tehran would respond immediately if the U.S. honored its commitments under a previous memorandum of understanding.10
The situation remains tense as both sides prepare for potential further confrontations.
“Iran state media reported four projectiles hit Chabahar and Konarak counties, while President Pezeshkian said Tehran would reciprocate if Washington honors the June MOU. Iran's parliament speaker warned that if the US blocks oil exports, 'no one will be able to export oil.'”
BBC
The Guardian
