The American military launched new attacks against Iran last night, after President Donald Trump promised a response to the downing of an American military helicopter in the Strait of Hormuz.
In retaliation, Iran launched rockets and drones towards American targets in Kuwait and Bahrain. In a first since the April armistice, the Jordanian army intercepted and downed Iranian rockets heading towards a military base hosting American troops.
This escalation of war comes in the context of yesterday when Donald Trump stated that negotiations with Iran are at the final stage, and the Strait of Hormuz will open in 2-3 days. Not a chance.
US Attacks
The United States launched multiple waves of attacks against Iran.
The US Central Command stated that its forces began launching "self-defense" attacks against Iran on Tuesday at 5:00 PM ET (00:00, Romania time), in response to the downing of a US Army Apache helicopter, as reported by CNN.
President Donald Trump confirmed that the US military is conducting attacks against Iran following the downing of an American helicopter. "I think it's very important to respond. They shot down a helicopter, and we are responding right now. I think the response should be very strong, very strong, and that's what it is," he told ABC News.
The Central Command described the attacks as a "proportional response to unjustified Iranian aggression."
American strikes were reported along the southern coast of Iran, in the area of the Strait of Hormuz.
Several explosions were heard in the Iranian coastal city of Sirik, as reported by the semi-official Iranian news agency Mehr. The exact nature of these sounds has not yet been determined, and so far, no military or law enforcement authority has commented on the cause of the explosions," as reported by CNN.
Explosions were also heard in Bandar Abbas and Qeshm, localities bordering the Strait of Hormuz, and the Iranian air defense was activated, according to Mehr.
Additionally, the Fars news agency announced that explosions were heard in the eastern Iranian province of Hormozgan.
According to Al Jazeera, the US military's attack also targeted a Shahed drone factory, in response to an attack with such a weapon against the Shahed helicopter.
After a few hours, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that the attacks had ended and stated that the US military remains prepared to defend against "unjustified Iranian aggression."
Tehran Responds with Rockets towards Kuwait, Bahrain, and Jordan
Iran launched rockets and drones towards American targets in the region, as later announced by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in a Telegram post.
Tehran claims to have targeted American bases in the region and the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain with drones. Kuwait and Bahrain issued air alerts and announced that their anti-aircraft defense systems were activated to repel the attacks.
The Jordanian army announced that it intercepted and downed five rockets launched from Iran towards the al-Azraq area in Jordan, as reported by The Guardian.
The al-Azraq area hosts the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, used by Jordanian forces and the US military.
The Jordanian Armed Forces stated on Wednesday that the rockets were neutralized before reaching their targets. Debris resulting from the interception operation fell on Jordanian territory but did not cause casualties or material damage.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reacted, stating that the US must leave the region. "Leave our region if you want to be safe."
Araghchi declared that no attack will go unanswered. Posting an image of the Strait of Hormuz with the message "Persian Gulf forever," he stated that, "despite the defeats suffered on the battlefield, the United States has chosen to test our resolve."