A fragile lull in the Middle East conflict ended abruptly as the United States launched what it called a “heavy wave of strikes” against Iran, stepping up a fast-moving confrontation after Iran targeted American bases in Jordan.
The renewed fighting has pulled in Tehran’s regional proxies and appears to have undercut expectations of a swift return to negotiations between the longtime adversaries.
US President Donald Trump had promised to hit Iran “hard” after Iran fired missiles at Jordan, marking its first regional strike in days.
American forces “successfully completed a heavy wave of strikes against Iran” and hit dozens of Islamic Revolutionary Guard targets, including military command centres, according to US Central Command (CENTCOM).
Iran’s state news agency IRNA said the attacks struck several locations in the southwestern province of Khuzestan as well as Qeshm island in the Gulf.
IRNA, citing provincial authorities, reported strikes in areas around Abadan, Shadegan, Arvandkenar and Ahvaz, all in Khuzestan.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said today that three of its members were killed in an attack by the United States on the northwestern province of Zanjan.
“In the brutal attack carried out by the terrorist regime of the criminal United States on 30 July 2026, three brave and devoted members of the Ansar al-Mahdi IRGC in Zanjan province … attained martyrdom,” the Guards’ provinicial branch said in a statement, according to Tasnim news agency.
Jordan’s military said today that that its air defences shot down five Iranian missiles targeting its territory, adding the attack caused no casualties.
The Revolutionary Guards later confirmed striking Jordan’s Al Azraq air base, saying US aircraft were the target. The Guards said the United States “used the occupied bases in your country (Jordan) to launch an air strike with bunker-buster bombs on two residential houses, targeting two modest homes belonging to local residents on Qeshm Island”.
A billboard pledging revenge against US President Donald Trump in central Tehran
Signs of the conflict widening emerged quickly. Saudi Arabia and the United States said Wednesday they carried out strikes on militant bases in Iraq, while Washington’s ally Israel accused Iran-backed Hezbollah of violating a truce.
Saudi Arabia, the world’s biggest oil exporter, has reported two days of drone attacks on crude facilities — assaults it blames on Iraqi armed groups allied with Iran.
Separately, Israel said Hezbollah launched a drone overnight at an Israeli vehicle inside Lebanon, which the Israeli military described as “a blatant violation of the ceasefire”.
Israel fought alongside the United States in the opening weeks of the war against Iran while also battling Hezbollah in Lebanon, but it has not joined the latest round of strikes against the Islamic republic.
Read more:
Latest Middle East stories
In Iraq, the joint US-Saudi air operation followed what Riyadh described as attacks by “terrorist militias loyal to Iran” on Saudi oil facilities.
The US military said the strikes hit logistics and weapons sites belonging to an Iran-aligned group.
Iraq’s Hashed al-Shaabi alliance said at least 20 of its members were killed.
Calling the strikes a “dangerous escalation”, the group said the action targeted an “official security institution”.
Two Hashed officials said five Iranian advisors were among the dead, and AFP correspondents reported seeing coffins draped with Iranian flags.
The Hashed al-Shaabi alliance — also known as the Popular Mobilisation Forces — was formed in 2014 to fight jihadists before later being integrated into the military.
It includes brigades tied to Iran-backed factions that have a reputation for acting unilaterally.
Iraq denounced the US-Saudi strikes, saying it rejects “all acts of aggression, regardless of the party responsible or the justifications presented”.
The Ministerial Council for National Security said it would “confront any violation of Iraq’s sovereignty, and prevent any source from using Iraqi territory to threaten neighbouring states”.
According to Fox News, however, President Trump said the strikes were “coordinated with the Iraqi government”.
The latest action comes amid increasing US pressure on Iraq to disarm pro-Iran groups. Earlier this month, Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi travelled to both the US and Iran.
The United States has said the days-long pause in fighting was intended to jumpstart a new round of negotiations, including talks over the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has blockaded for much of the war.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said Wednesday they attacked and stopped three tankers in the strait, asserting Iran has “full control” of the waterway that had previously remained open to transit.
Iran has insisted it will keep control of the vital corridor for energy shipments and has announced plans to levy fees for passage — a move Washington opposes.
Crude oil prices edged lower on Thursday after rising the previous day.
The United States also announced fresh sanctions against entities linked to Iran’s Guards, accusing them of extorting ships transiting the strait.
