Iran has launched missile and drone attacks against US targets in Jordan, Kuwait, Iraq and Bahrain following renewed American strikes on Iran, amid reports that five people, including a child, were killed when shrapnel from a US missile hit a home hosting a wedding celebration in southern Iran.
The Iranian Red Crescent said more than 50 people were also injured in the incident in Sirik, with the reported casualties intensifying tensions between Tehran and Washington.
The US military said it was aware of the reports but maintained that American forces never targeted civilians.
US Central Command (Centcom) said the American strikes on Iran followed what it described as “recent attempted attacks” by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) against commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and US forces in the region.
The IRGC warned that the United States would “regret” the strikes, with Iran subsequently launching a barrage of ballistic missiles and drones against American positions in the region.
Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that the IRGC targeted a US Marine base in Jordan’s Aqaba in retaliation for the reported deaths in Sirik.
The Jordanian Armed Forces said its air defences intercepted 13 ballistic missiles, destroying 10, while three fell in remote areas. It said there were no deaths or injuries from the Iranian attack.
Authorities also warned residents in the Aqaba and Mafraq governorates about falling debris, although the warning was later lifted.
In Kuwait, the army said its air-defence systems were responding to Iranian missile attacks early Wednesday.
Several explosions were also reported in Bahrain following Iranian attacks, according to Iranian state media.
In Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region, the IRGC said it had struck US bases with missiles and drones, claiming that a maintenance centre, warehouses and equipment were destroyed. The report was carried by Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency.
US President Donald Trump, while announcing the American strikes on Tuesday, warned that Iran would face retaliation at “a much harder and higher level” if it responded.
The latest escalation follows earlier US strikes on Iran, including an attack on two rocket launchers on Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran responded by firing missiles at air bases in Jordan and launching a drone towards the United Arab Emirates.
Centcom said US forces began striking IRGC targets at 12:00 ET (16:00 GMT) and completed the operation by early Wednesday.
Iranian state media reported that projectiles struck areas around Chabahar and Konarak, as well as an airport in Jiroft, while explosions were also heard on Qeshm Island and in Bandar Abbas.
Iranian state media and the Iranian Red Crescent said civilian areas along Iran’s southern coast were among those hit, with a child reportedly killed during a wedding celebration in Sirik County near the Strait of Hormuz.
US Navy Captain Tim Hawkins, speaking for Centcom, told the BBC that the US military was aware of reports from Iranian state media about the Sirik incident.
He said the US military “never targets civilians,” while accusing the IRGC of doing otherwise.
The latest fighting comes amid a broader conflict that began with wide-ranging US and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28. Iran subsequently attacked Israel, US bases and allied states in the Gulf, while the Strait of Hormuz was effectively closed to maritime traffic.
A US-Iran agreement, known as the Memorandum of Understanding, was signed in June to extend a ceasefire between the two countries. However, the agreement has since expired, paving the way for renewed hostilities.
Both Washington and Tehran have also taken actions against shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, with Iran targeting vessels it says attempted to cross the waterway without permission, while the United States enforced a naval blockade of Iranian ports.
Washington further announced a fresh sanctions campaign on August 24 aimed at isolating Tehran and expanding secondary sanctions against countries and entities supporting Iran.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, speaking at a G20 finance ministers meeting, said several US allies had indicated they would do “whatever is necessary” regarding the sanctions against Iran.
Iranian officials and state media have largely dismissed the latest sanctions as a continuation of previous US economic measures, arguing that Washington’s policies followed its military failure in the recent conflict.
However, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian was quoted by state media on Tuesday as saying that if the United States returned to its commitments under the agreement, Iran would reciprocate.
The latest exchange of attacks has nevertheless raised fears of a wider regional conflict, as Washington and Tehran continue to trade military strikes while diplomatic efforts to restore a ceasefire remain uncertain.
