US Strikes Iran, Tehran Launches Missiles Toward Jordan

The United States military launched a wave of strikes against targets in Iran on Tuesday, including on Qeshm Island and the port city of Chabahar near the Gulf of Oman. A US official told Al Jazeera that targets in the Bandar Abbas region were attacked. US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed the strikes on Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targets in response to Iranian attacks in the Strait of Hormuz. The deputy governor of Sistan and Baluchestan province confirmed US bombs hit Chabahar and Konarak districts, a report corroborated by Iran's IRNA news agency. The IRGC threatened that the US strikes would lead to a complete closure of shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

Simultaneously, alarms, explosions, and interceptions were reported in the skies over Jordan, apparently from launches originating in Iran. The explosions were also clearly heard in Eilat, Israel. US President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social, "If the failed state of Iran responds to this justified attack, it will be hit again with much stronger and greater power, but this will not be the greatest attack of all, which awaits on the front, and when it is over, very little will remain of the Islamic Republic of Iran." A spokesperson for the IRGC responded, "Severe punishment awaits the aggressors; the US will regret its new attacks." Trump later told Fox News that "the deal with Iran is not worth the paper it is written on."

The US Embassy in Israel issued a security advisory to its citizens in the region, warning of potential escalation and urging increased caution. Earlier, the UK's Maritime Trade Operations reported an oil tanker was attacked by three Iranian surface-to-surface missiles while attempting to exit the Strait of Hormuz. Trump had previously vowed a strong response to an Iranian missile attack targeting US bases in Jordan, telling Fox News, "We are going to hit them hard." He also noted a possibility for talks, though he expressed skepticism about reaching an agreement, attributing this to the effectiveness of sanctions.

An Iranian official told Reuters that the confrontation with the US remained "limited" and that Iran would respond "severely severely if attacked." Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian stated at the SCO summit in Kyrgyzstan that Iran would return to its commitments from a June memorandum of understanding if the US also returned to its obligations. Overnight, the US military struck Iran's Larrak Island in the Strait of Hormuz, which the IRGC claimed was an "act of aggression" and that their air defenses shot down a US MQ-9 drone. CENTCOM denied the aggression claim, stating the strike was "limited and precise" against forces that had laid mines posing an "immediate threat."

The Jordanian military reported successfully intercepting eight missiles that entered its airspace. US Treasury Secretary Scott to Reuters that the US would impose secondary sanctions on Iran this week, targeting banks and warning against cooperation with the Iranian regime. He noted that the sanctions had reduced Iranian oil imports from China and emphasized the need to target Chinese companies involved in such trade.