At least 11 people have been killed in Unites States (US) strikes on Iran, including people attending a wedding ceremony, while Tehran launched missile and drone attacks against US forces and interests across the Middle East.
At least five people, including a child, were killed and dozens injured after US strikes hit a wedding ceremony north of the Iranian port city of Sirik, according to Iranian authorities.
The Iranian Health Ministry said earlier that four people, including a child, were killed and more than 50 wounded in an attack on a wedding ceremony in southern Sirik county. The Iranian Red Crescent also reported the casualties.
The US military said that it had completed its latest wave of strikes against Iranian military air and sea infrastructure.
US Central Command (Centcom) posted on X that US forces struck Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targets, including air defence sites, radar systems, maritime assets, mine-laying capabilities and communications sites.
Iran also reported casualties from US strikes in the southwestern province of Khuzestan.
Iran’s State-run IRNA reported that the deputy governor of Khuzestan for security and law enforcement affairs said that a US missile attack on three locations in the province killed seven people and injured eight others.
As the American strikes continued, Iran launched retaliatory attacks against US bases and interests in the region.
IRGC said that they carried out a coordinated missile and drone attack on US bases in Erbil, in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region. According to a statement carried by IRNA, the attack destroyed a maintenance centre, warehouses and the “guidance system of a US surveillance aerostat”.
Iran’s army also stated that it targeted US forces at Sheikh Isa Air Base in Bahrain. “The Army of the Islamic Republic of Iran, several hours ago, targeted radar installations and assembly points of US terrorist forces at Sheikh Isa Air Base in Bahrain through intensive attacks carried out by suicide drones,” Iranian state media reported.
Kuwait also stated that it came under missile and drone attacks as Tehran responded to the US strikes.“Kuwaiti air defences are currently responding to hostile missile and drone attacks,” the Kuwaiti army said on X, urging citizens to follow safety instructions.
IRGC separately claimed a ballistic missile attack on a US base in Jordan. Iranian news outlet Tasnim reported that the Guards said that they had “Launched an intense ballistic missile attack on the US Marine Corps base in Jordan, known as Camp Titin”.
IRGC political deputy General Yadollah Javani warned Arab states to expel US forces or face a “crushing” military response, naming Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan as potential targets for retaliation, according to Al Jazeera.
The IRGC described the US strikes as operations that had “more firmly locked down the Strait of Hormuz” and strengthened the resolve of its forces to confront foreign forces in the waterway.
Brigadier General Hossein Mohebbi, spokesperson for the IRGC, said, “A harsh punishment awaits the aggressors; the United States will regret its new attacks.” Iran’s military general staff said it would “impose a heavy cost” on the US in response to strikes in Sistan-Baluchistan and Hormozgan provinces.
US President Donald Trump, meanwhile, warned Tehran against retaliating. In comments to Fox News’ Trey Yingst, Trump said that an agreement with Iran “isn’t worth the paper it’s written on.”
“We gave them a lot of chances,” Trump said. He added, “They tried to rebuild their radar because they can’t see anything. We waited until it was almost built and then we hit it.”
In a post on Truth Social, he said Iran would be “hit again at a much harder and higher level” and hinted at “The biggest attack of them all”.
Trump said that the US strikes were retaliation for Iranian attempts to plant mines in the Strait of Hormuz. He reiterated his claim that there were no mines in the waterway and said a US base in Jordan had “successfully knocked down” eight missiles fired by Tehran.
The conflict also affected oil markets and shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
Brent crude futures rose 75 cents, or 0.8 per cent, to $95.40 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures gained 44 cents, or 0.5pc, to $90.66, as concerns over supply
