US Central Command launched a wave of military strikes across southern Iran at 00:00 GMT, describing the action as a “powerful response to attempted attacks” on American forces in Jordan. US President Donald Trump stated that the strikes served as a direct retaliation after Iranian missiles targeted a US base, ending a brief pause in air operations. The bombardments hit multiple strategic and urban locations across Khuzestan, Fars, and Hormozgan provinces, including Ahvaz, Abadan, Kazerun, and the coastal hubs of Bandar Abbas, Qeshm, and Kish Island.
The aerial and missile offensive caused localized infrastructure damage and casualties across several Iranian cities. In Qeshm, strikes on the electrical grid triggered a temporary blackout before repair crews restored power, while emergency teams worked to extract 2 people trapped beneath the rubble of a damaged residential building in the Chah-Tango neighborhood, later transferring 2 injured individuals to a local hospital. State media reported explosions near Bushehr, home to Iran’s sole nuclear power plant, as well as in Shadegan, Arvandkenar, and island locations including Abu Musa.
The US military action followed a sharp escalation by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which claimed credit for targeting a US command center and airbase in Jordan. The IRGC navy also targeted 3 oil tankers attempting to navigate the Strait of Hormuz without Iranian approval, while 4 IRGC members died in a separate joint US-Saudi strike in Iraq. As Iran maintained its rejection of Omani mine-clearing proposals in the strait, military analysts warned that the fresh round of bombardments risks trapping both nations in an ongoing escalatory cycle.
-Al Jazeera
