Doha, Sept 2: Iran launched retaliatory missile and drone attacks on US military facilities in the Middle East after the United States carried out heavy airstrikes on Iranian military sites on Tuesday, sharply escalating a conflict that had remained relatively calm for several weeks.
Iran said it targeted US military facilities in Jordan, Bahrain and Iraq. The escalation has also heightened tensions around the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial route for global oil supplies.
International crude oil prices rose by more than $4 a barrel on Tuesday, reaching their highest level in five weeks, Reuters reported. Since the war began, Iran has effectively halted oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.
The US Central Command said its forces struck facilities belonging to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, targeting air defence systems, radar installations, naval facilities, communications centres and infrastructure linked to Iran’s ability to lay sea mines.
Iranian media reported explosions in several parts of the country. They said US missiles struck near Ahvaz and targeted a civilian airport in Jiroft in southeastern Iran. Explosions were also reported in Chabahar, Bandar Abbas and Asaluyeh, a major gas hub, as well as on Qeshm Island near the Strait of Hormuz.
The Iranian Red Crescent said five people were killed and 50 injured in a US strike near a wedding ceremony in Sirik. Mehr news agency reported that a four-year-old child was among those killed.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard warned that it would tighten its control over the Strait of Hormuz. Before the war, about one fifth of the world’s oil consumption passed through the waterway.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf was quoted as saying that if Iran is prevented from exporting oil through the Persian Gulf, no other country should be allowed to export oil either.
US President Donald Trump warned Iran against retaliating, threatening a larger and harsher military response. Despite the warning, Iran launched attacks on US positions.
The IRGC claimed a major ballistic missile attack on a US base in Jordan killed American troops. However, two US officials told Reuters that preliminary information indicated no US military casualties.
Iranian media also reported a major drone attack on a US base in Bahrain. Kuwait said it had activated its air defence systems. Jordan said it intercepted 10 of 13 ballistic missiles that entered its airspace, while Bahrain said Iranian drones were destroyed before entering its territory.
The IRGC also claimed missile and drone attacks on US military facilities in Erbil, northern Iraq.
The latest escalation marks a return to direct military confrontation after months in which the conflict had increasingly shifted toward economic pressure and disruption of oil supplies. A ceasefire agreement reached in June failed to hold, particularly over conflicting interpretations of Iran’s control of the Strait of Hormuz and oil shipments through the waterway.
People’s News Monitoring Service
Login to add a comment