The U.S. military launched a new round of strikes against Iran Wednesday evening after President Donald Trump vowed to hit the Islamic Republic “very hard” in response to Iran’s attempted ballistic missile attack on U.S. forces in Jordan the previous day.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced Wednesday evening that U.S. forces had begun striking Iran, describing the operation as “a powerful response to yesterday’s attempted Iranian attacks on U.S. forces based in the Middle East.”
“U.S. forces began launching strikes against Iran at 8 p.m. ET today,” CENTCOM said. “The strikes are a powerful response to yesterday’s attempted Iranian attacks on U.S. forces based in the Middle East.”
CENTCOM later released additional details, announcing that by 10 p.m. ET, its forces had “successfully completed a heavy wave of strikes” against Iran in response to the previous day’s attempted missile attack on U.S. forces in the Middle East.
According to CENTCOM, U.S. forces struck dozens of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targets across Iran, including military command centers, missile and drone facilities, coastal surveillance and defense sites, and maritime capabilities. The command said the operation was intended to further diminish threats posed by Iran and its proxies to U.S. forces, commercial shipping, and neighboring Gulf countries.
CENTCOM also said more than 50,000 U.S. service members remain deployed throughout the Middle East and are “highly vigilant, focused, lethal, and ready.”
The announcement came hours after Trump repeatedly warned Iran that the United States would retaliate.
“We’re going to beat the f****** s*** out of them,” Trump told Fox News on Wednesday morning. “We’ll be hitting them hard. They’re going to get a beating.”
Later Wednesday, Trump again signaled a military response during remarks at the White House.
“We’re going to be hitting them very hard because it’s our turn to hit them,” Trump told reporters. “They know it’s coming. They’re asking us not to do it. They nevertheless took a shot, so it’s our turn.”
The strikes followed Tuesday’s attempted Iranian ballistic missile attack against U.S. forces stationed in Jordan. CENTCOM said Iran fired five ballistic missiles in what it described as an attempted surprise attack, adding that all of the missiles were intercepted before reaching their targets.
Hours after the attempted missile attack, the United States and Saudi Arabia launched strikes against Iran-backed militia targets in Iraq. CENTCOM said those strikes were carried out in response to a separate series of drone attacks against U.S. forces and Saudi infrastructure.
Multiple media outlets, citing Iranian reports, said explosions were heard in several locations across southern Iran, including Ahvaz, Sirik, and Nurabad in Fars Province. U.S. officials had not publicly identified the targets struck as of Wednesday evening.
The latest operation marked the first direct U.S. strikes inside Iran since Trump paused the previous campaign Friday after 13 consecutive nights of attacks against Iranian military targets, opening a brief window for diplomatic efforts.
Axios reported Sunday that CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper had recommended ending the previous bombing campaign around the Strait of Hormuz after concluding it had largely achieved its objectives. According to the outlet, Cooper advised senior U.S. officials that most designated targets had already been struck and that additional attacks would provide limited military benefit unless the United States decided to resume broader combat operations.
Earlier Wednesday, The Wall Street Journal reported that the Trump administration was weighing military options ranging from a limited retaliatory strike to a broader air campaign designed to significantly degrade Iran’s missile capabilities. According to the outlet, Trump had not yet finalized the scope of a potential operation before the latest strikes began.
The renewed U.S. strikes represent the latest escalation in the military confrontation between Washington and Tehran following Iran’s attempted ballistic missile attack on U.S. forces in Jordan and a week of rapidly expanding military operations across the region.
Joshua Klein is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @JoshuaKlein.
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