Iran has launched retaliatory attacks against US military targets across the Middle East following American strikes on Iranian positions, marking a dangerous new escalation in tensions between Washington and Tehran.
According to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the attacks targeted several US military facilities in the region, including the headquarters of the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain and a US base in Jordan.
The strikes came hours after the United States carried out what it described as “self-defense” operations in response to the downing of a US Army Apache helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz earlier this week.
Bahrain said its air defenses intercepted multiple Iranian missiles and drones aimed at the kingdom.
The Bahraini Defense Force condemned the attacks, accusing Iran of targeting civilians and violating international humanitarian law.
Video verified by CNN appeared to show a bright flash near the area of the U.S. naval facility in Manama, the capital of Bahrain, where the Fifth Fleet is based.
Jordanian authorities reported intercepting five missiles, while Kuwait announced that its air defense systems had engaged what it described as “hostile aerial targets” entering its airspace.
The US military said its strikes against Iran had concluded and were intended as a response to the alleged Iranian shootdown of an Apache attack helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz.
A US official told CNN that the Trump administration believes the military action will not derail ongoing indirect negotiations aimed at ending the broader conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran.
President Donald Trump has repeatedly expressed optimism that a diplomatic agreement with Tehran remains within reach despite the latest violence.
Inside Iran, explosions were reported around three strategic locations near the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important oil shipping routes.
Iranian state television said two water reservoirs were struck during the U.S. attacks, disrupting water supplies in parts of the region.
Iranian officials have not yet released casualty figures.
The latest exchange of attacks raises fears of a wider regional conflict at a time when indirect negotiations between Washington and Tehran were reportedly making progress.
The confrontation follows months of instability across the Middle East, including clashes involving Israel, Hezbollah, and Iran-backed groups, as well as ongoing disputes over the future of the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s nuclear program.
While both sides have indicated they do not seek a broader war, Wednesday’s attacks represent one of the most direct military confrontations between Iran and the United States since the current crisis began.
Analysts warn that any further strikes against US forces, or additional American retaliation, could quickly draw more countries in the region into the conflict.
