Iran launched retaliatory strikes against US military positions across the Middle East after Donald Trump threatened to hit the country “much harder”, raising the risk of a wider regional conflict.
Iranian state media reported attacks against a US base in Erbil in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region and a Marine base in Jordan’s Aqaba, following a US strike in southern Iran.
The Iranian Red Crescent, a humanitarian organisation, said shrapnel from one of the strikes killed four people, including a child, during a wedding celebration in Kuhestak, Sirik. At least 35 people were reported injured.
US Central Command said earlier that it had completed a wave of strikes against Iranian military targets after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps attempted to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and US service members.
Capt Tim Hawkins, a Centcom spokesman, said the US was aware of reports from Iranian state media concerning the retaliatory strikes.
“The US military never targets civilians, unlike the IRGC,” he added.
Jordanian armed forces said they had intercepted 13 ballistic missiles, destroying 10, while three landed in remote areas.
Bahrain separately said its air defence systems had intercepted and destroyed Iranian drones over its territory.
The Bahraini Ministry of Interior issued three “potential threat” warnings within five hours as regional governments remained on alert.
The US strikes had hit about 100 military targets, according to American officials, including two Iranian tankers.
US military sources said the attacks formed part of a new “tanker for tanker” policy approved by Trump and first reported by Axios, marking an escalation in Washington’s efforts to pressure Tehran over attacks and threats to commercial shipping.
Trump had warned on Tuesday that any Iranian retaliation would prompt an even more forceful American response.
“If Iran retaliated at all,” he said he would hit the country “at a much harder and higher level”.
He added that an even larger attack was “waiting in the wings”.
When that larger operation takes place, Trump warned, “there will be very little left” of Iran.
The latest exchange of strikes comes as military activity and diplomatic tensions across the region intensify, with the risk that attacks on US forces, Iranian military assets and commercial shipping could trigger further escalation.
Early on Wednesday, the US Navy carrier USS Abraham Lincoln arrived at Thailand’s Laem Chabang after spending more than 200 days at sea in the Middle East.
The carrier, carrying about 5,000 sailors and Marines, had faced reports of deteriorating mental health among personnel and attempted suicides during its prolonged deployment.
Accompanied by other US military vessels, the carrier is due to spend five days in Thailand to allow crews time for rest and recuperation.
The return of regular strikes between Washington and Tehran follows the expiry of the Memorandum of Understanding, adding another layer of uncertainty to already fragile efforts to contain the conflict.
The White House had previously warned that it would impose an “economic D-Day” on Iran as negotiations between the two sides deteriorated.
The latest escalation places renewed pressure on regional governments, shipping operators and global energy markets, with the Strait of Hormuz remaining a critical flashpoint for the security of international trade and oil supplies.
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