DUBAI: Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they carried out attacks against a U.S. base in Jordan and 21 other targets in the Gulf on Wednesday.
They said their attacks were in retaliation for U.S. strikes around the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian media reported.
The clashes mark one of the biggest exchanges in hostilities since Tehran and Washington agreed to a ceasefire in April.
Oil prices climbed in early Asian trade and gold fell to an 11-week low on Wednesday following the escalation in hostilities.
The Iranian strikes, which included attacks in Kuwait and Bahrain, came after the U.S. military said it had targeted Iranian air defense, ground control stations and surveillance radar sites near the strait in response to what Trump said was the downing of a U.S. Apache helicopter on Tuesday.
“I believe the response should be very strong, very powerful, and that’s what this one is,” Trump told ABC News on Tuesday.
Tehran responded by firing on Gulf neighbors that host U.S. bases and all but choked off the Strait of Hormuz, a vital conduit for oil and gas.
Bahrain’s Defense Force said its air defenses intercepted and destroyed several Iranian attacks targeting civilians
The latest U.S. strikes lasted around four hours before and a U.S. official said almost 20 Iranian targets had been struck.
Iran’s state media reported that Qeshm island and the port city of Sirik in the Strait of Hormuz were attacked.
The escalation in violence continues to deepen doubts about the prospects for a deal to end the war.
The latest clashes between the U.S. and Iran mark one of the biggest exchanges in hostilities since the two countries agreed to a ceasefire in April.
The escalation in violence deepens doubts about the prospects for a deal to end the war that started on February 28 with joint U.S.-Israeli strikes against Iran.
The ceasefire in early April was announced with plans on talks to follow on a lasting end to hostilities, the reopening of Hormuz, the end of a U.S. blockade on Iranian ports and a pathway to negotiations on Iran’s nuclear programme.
However, despite repeated rounds of indirect talks mediated by Pakistan and Qatar, there has been no fuller agreement yet. A deal would likely put off negotiation on the nuclear issue to a later stage.
Meanwhile, the sides have repeatedly exchanged fire, with Iran also attacking Gulf states including Kuwait this week.–Reuters
