Iran has attacked US military targets in the Middle East in retaliation for the first American strikes on its territory in a month, in a fresh flare-up of the war that has engulfed the region.
Tehran’s Revolutionary Guards said they had retaliated to the attack by striking two US military air bases with ballistic missiles in Jordan, causing “heavy damage”.
Jordan’s army said it had intercepted eight missiles, without stating their origin.
The Guards also said they had shot down a US drone over the Strait of Hormuz.
The attacks came after the United States said it had attacked Iranian rocket launchers on a small island in the strategic shipping lane.
The US said its attacks were aimed at preventing Iran from launching more sea mines into the strait, days after it announced it had completed clearing explosives from the waterway.
The administration of US President Donald Trump has prioritised ‘economic warfare’ in recent weeks
“US forces took limited, precise action against IRGC (Iran’s Revolutionary Guards’) minelaying forces posing an imminent threat in the Strait of Hormuz,” US Central Command wrote on X.
The Guards said the US strikes resulted in “casualties” and that their subsequent attack on Jordan was “in response to the US-Zionist aerial aggression.”
Trump posts AI video of Iran’s Kharg in ‘smithereens’
US President Donald Trump posted an AI-generated video clip that he said was Iran’s oil hub Kharg Island being “blown to smithereens”.
It was not clear if Mr Trump’s post was a threat to Kharg Island or if an attack was taking place.
Several hours after the post, there was no evidence Kharghad been attacked.
“Kharg Island being blown to smithereens!!! President DJT,” Mr Trump said on his Truth Social platform, but gave no further details.
Iran releases footage purporting to show missiles launched at US military targets in Jordan
Reuters confirmed that an accompanying video clip showing dramatic explosions was most likely synthetically-generated, using software that detects AI-manipulated imagery.
Attacking Kharg, which handled 90% of Iran’s oil exports before the war launched by US and Israeli attacks on 28 February28, would severely disrupt its energy trade and put huge pressure on its economy.
‘Not seeking war’
“We are not seeking war, but we will deliver a decisive response to the aggressors,” Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a statement quoted by state TV.
Mr Pezeshkian was speaking before travelling to Kyrgyzstan for the summit of a bloc that seeks to be a counterinfluence to the West, along with Russia’s Vladimir Putin and China’s Xi Jinping.
The exchange of fire came shortly after the US-Iran war hit the six-month mark, and at a time when hostilities had been subsiding.
In recent weeks, the administration of US President Donald Trump has prioritised “economic warfare” over military strikes on Iran.
Iran has effectively blocked the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic sea lane through which one-fifth of the world’s oil passed before the United States and Israel triggered hostilities with strikes on Iran on 28 February.
“Last week, CENTCOM completed clearing sea mines from the strait’s international shipping routes,” said Navy Captain Tim Hawkins, a spokesman for US Central Command.
“US forces are monitoring the area closely and remain prepared to protect the free flow of commerce through this essential waterway,” he said.
Unpopular war
Diplomatic efforts, spearheaded by mediators including Pakistan and Qatar, have tried for months to bring an end to the war.
While a ceasefire was agreed in April and a memorandum of understanding towards a final peace deal was signed in June, no agreement has been forthcoming, and Washington has since declared “economic warfare” against Tehran.
A US naval counterblockade of Iranian ports is squeezing petrol supplies in Iran during a shortfall in domestic production, as the US ramps up the pressure.
The April ceasefire put an end to the most intense fighting, but sporadic attacks, mainly around the Strait of Hormuz, have dimmed the prospects of a final peace agreement.
The Strait of Hormuz carried nearly a fifth of global crude oil shipments before the war
The last US strike on Iran came on 29 July in response to “an attempted surprise attack on US forces” in the region, the US military said.
Earlier in July, CENTCOM attacked Iran for 13 consecutive nights.
Throughout the war, Iran has fought back by striking US facilities and allies in the Gulf region, hitting targets in Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, among others.
Its closure of the Strait of Hormuz has caused pain around the world in the form of price hikes and shortages of fertilizer and energy.
Oil prices rose after news of the US strikes on Iran. A barrel of North Sea Brent crude, the international benchmark, climbed back above the symbolic $90 threshold. West Texas Intermediate rose to more than $85.
The Iran war is deeply unpopular with the US public, with midterm elections looming in November that could overturn Republican control of Congress.
In a statement on Friday, US Senator Jack Reed criticised Mr Trump over the war.
“Six months later, not a single objective has been achieved,” said Senator Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee.
“Indeed, he has weakened our position in the Middle East and the world significantly.”