Iran Strikes US Bases After American Attack on Larak Island as Middle East Tensions Escalate
Iran has launched retaliatory attacks against US military targets in the Middle East after Washington carried out its first strikes on Iranian territory in a month, triggering a fresh escalation in the regional conflict.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it targeted two US bases in Jordan with ballistic missiles, claiming the attacks caused heavy damage. Jordan’s military said it intercepted eight missiles.
Tehran also said it targeted US personnel at a base in the United Arab Emirates and shot down a US drone over the Strait of Hormuz.
The attacks followed US strikes on Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island. Washington said the operation was intended to prevent Iran from laying additional sea mines in the strategic waterway.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran was not seeking war but would deliver a “decisive response” to what he called aggression.
The latest exchange comes six months into the conflict, despite previous ceasefire and peace efforts. The Strait of Hormuz remains a major flashpoint, with the conflict disrupting global energy markets and pushing oil prices higher.
Diplomatic efforts involving countries including Pakistan and Qatar have so far failed to produce a lasting peace agreement.
