U.S. Launches Fresh Strikes on Iran as Jordan Intercepts New Missile Barrage

The United States has carried out a new wave of airstrikes against targets linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), hours after Washington said Tehran attempted to launch a surprise ballistic missile attack on U.S. forces stationed in the Middle East, marking a sharp escalation in the months-long conflict between the two countries.

The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said its forces completed a two-hour operation late on Wednesday, striking dozens of IRGC facilities across Iran, including military command centres, missile and drone installations, coastal surveillance systems, air defence sites and maritime assets.

The strikes were launched in retaliation for what CENTCOM described as multiple ballistic missiles fired by Iran on July 28 at U.S. forces based in Jordan. Washington said all of the incoming missiles were intercepted before reaching their targets.

“The strikes aimed to further diminish threats posed by Iran and its proxies to American forces, commercial shipping, and neighbouring Gulf countries,” CENTCOM said, adding that more than 50,000 U.S. troops deployed across the Middle East remain on high alert.

The latest exchange comes after a brief lull in fighting that had raised hopes of renewed diplomacy following months of hostilities between the United States, Israel and Iran. Those hopes have now largely faded as both sides resume military operations.

Meanwhile, Jordan said its air defence systems intercepted and destroyed five Iranian missiles that entered its airspace early Thursday, the second time in as many days that the kingdom has reported shooting down Iranian projectiles.

According to the Jordanian Armed Forces, military radar detected the missiles before air defence units engaged and destroyed them.

Authorities said there were no casualties, property damage or reported impacts at the strategically important Muwaffaq Salti Air Base or elsewhere in the country.

Jordan has increasingly found itself on the frontline of the regional conflict because of its proximity to Israel, Iraq and Syria, as well as the presence of U.S. military facilities on its territory.

Washington has not disclosed the extent of damage caused by the latest strikes inside Iran, while Tehran had not immediately released an official assessment of casualties or material losses.

The renewed confrontation raises fears of a wider regional conflict that could threaten commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, disrupt global energy supplies and further destabilise the Middle East.