Missiles and drones streaked across the Gulf after Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they struck a US base in Jordan and hit 21 other targets across the region, framing the operation as retaliation for US attacks near the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian media reported.
The flare-up is among the biggest exchanges in hostilities since Iran and the United States agreed to a ceasefire in April.
According to Iranian media, the Iranian strikes included attacks in Kuwait and Bahrain and followed US military action that Washington described on X as targeting Iranian air defence, ground control stations and surveillance radar sites near the strait. The United States launched those strikes after US President Donald Trump said a US Apache helicopter had been downed yesterday.
“I believe the response should be very strong, very powerful, and that’s what this one is,” Mr Trump told ABC News.
The renewed violence has cast fresh doubt over prospects for an agreement to end the war that began on 28 February with joint US-Israeli strikes against Iran.
In the months since, Tehran has fired on Gulf neighbours hosting US bases and has nearly strangled traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital artery for global oil and gas flows.
The latest US operation lasted about four hours, and a US official said nearly 20 Iranian targets were struck.
Iran’s state media said Qeshm island and Sirik, a port city on the Strait of Hormuz, came under attack.
Local sources and residents cited by Iranian media reported hearing explosions in Bandar Abbas, and later near Jask, close to the entrance of the strait.
In response, the Revolutionary Guards said they targeted four sites at the US al-Azraq base in Jordan with long-range missiles, Iranian media reported.
The Guards said the targets included F-35 fighter jet hangars and a command-and-control centre. They also warned they were prepared to deliver a “crushing and decisive” response to any further US strike.
Jordan’s armed forces said they intercepted and shot down five missiles fired from Iran toward al-Azraq. The military said debris from the interception fell on Jordanian territory but caused no injuries or material damage.
In Kuwait, the army said its air defence systems were engaging hostile aerial targets and urged residents to follow official safety guidance. The statement came after the Revolutionary Guards said they had targeted the Ali Al Salem base in Kuwait with drones.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards also said they had earlier attacked the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain using drones and warned of “more severe responses” if fighting continued, according to media reports.
Pro-government supporters attend a rally in Tehran
Bahrain’s Interior Ministry said warning sirens were sounded and urged people to move to safety. Soon after, a media adviser to Bahrain’s king said in a post on X that air defences had repelled Iranian attacks.
A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said initial assessments indicated nearly all Iranian missiles and drones were intercepted. The official said there were no immediate reports of harm to US personnel or damage to US locations.
The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Reuters said it could not immediately verify the battlefield accounts.
Oil prices rose about 1% in early Asian trading after the escalation.
The latest round of strikes followed the loss of a US Apache helicopter, which a US official said was brought down by a one-way Iranian attack drone. Mr Trump said the two US pilots were not injured.
Iran’s state media, citing a military source, said no offensive air military operations had taken place in the Strait of Hormuz during the previous 24 hours.
The US military said a US Navy surface drone located and rescued the two crew after the US Army attack helicopter went down in waters near Oman’s coast while on patrol at around midnight Irish time on Monday.
US Central Command did not provide a cause for the crash. It said the crew were recovered after two hours and were in stable condition — a more cautious assessment than Mr Trump’s description.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi did not directly address the helicopter incident. But in a post on X he warned that foreign forces in the region risked becoming caught up in accidents or crossfire.
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“To reduce risk, best solution is for them to leave,” he wrote.
Speaking to The Wall Street Journal by phone yesterday, Mr Trump played down the helicopter incident, calling it “wasn’t a big deal,” and adding that “the pilot is fine.”
Even so, the episode risks adding new strain to already fragile efforts to broker a broader peace deal, end the wider Middle East war and fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Mr Trump has repeatedly said the United States and Iran are nearing an agreement, yet there have been few signs of progress since the shaky ceasefire took hold in early April.
Meanwhile, fighting has continued in Lebanon between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah militants. Tehran has also kept restrictions on most shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, which before the war carried one-fifth of the world’s crude oil and liquefied natural gas.
Washington, for its part, has imposed a blockade on Iranian ports.
US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said vessel traffic through Hormuz is increasing “very meaningfully,” but cautioned it would take many months after the war ends for energy flows to return to normal.
Mr Trump has said any peace arrangement must ensure Iran cannot build a nuclear weapon. Iran denies pursuing such a capability.
Iran has demanded the lifting of international sanctions, the release of billions of dollars in frozen assets and recognition of its control of the strait.
