Tehran warns that clashes remain ongoing and vowed to deploy heavier retaliatory measures if US military operations against Iran continue.
The US has launched massive air strikes against Iran after the shooting down of a US helicopter gunship near the Strait of Hormuz a day earlier.
Iran’s state television said that explosions and air defence sirens were heard in several cities along Iran’s coast, including the city of Sirik and the island of Qeshm.
The US military’s Central Command said in a statement on Tuesday that “self-defence strikes” started at 5 PM Washington time at Trump’s direction.
“The mission is a proportional response to unjustified Iranian aggression,” Central Command said in a statement.
Iran’s Mehr News Agency, citing residents, reported massive explosions in the Sirik area.
Iran’s state media reported that Qeshm Island and the Bandar Abbas seaport were also attacked.
Trump vowed response
“I think it’s very important to respond. They shot down a helicopter, and we are responding as we speak,” Trump told ABC News on US retaliatory strikes against Iran.
“This is a response to what they did… with our helicopter last night, and I believe the response should be very strong, very powerful, and that’s what this one is,” the US president added.
Separately, the Axios news site, citing a senior American official, reported that US military forces attacked several Iranian air defence batteries and radar systems around the Strait of Hormuz.
Axios said a second round of strikes in Iran is taking place “now” targeting air defence and radar systems.
Iran’s retaliatory attacks on 21 American military targets
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has announced a drone strike targeting the US Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain, framing the operation as a direct retaliation for American air raids in southern Iran.
IRGC said early on Wednesday that 21 American military targets, including air and naval bases across the region, came under attack.
In a statement carried by state media, the Guards vowed to deploy heavier retaliatory measures if US military operations continue.
IRGC also claimed to have shot down an American MQ-9 Reaper drone over the southern Bushehr province.
Simultaneously, the Guards declared that it had launched a drone assault against the Ali Al Salem air base in Kuwait.
The Kuwaiti military later confirmed the incident, stating that its air defence networks successfully engaged hostile aerial targets.
The escalations follow widespread US precision strikes across several locations in southern Iran, including Jask, Sirik, and Qeshm Island. The
The US struck 20 targets in Iran, including a telecommunications tower.
Long-range missiles
In a major regional expansion of the clashes, the IRGC used long-range missiles in an attack on the Al-Azraq base in Jordan, Iranian media reported.
The Revolutionary Guard said it targeted four specific areas at the US Al-Azraq base, with targets including F-35 fighter jet hangars and a command-and-control centre.
Jordan’s army said debris fell after interception of missiles, with no casualties or damage reported.
CENTCOM completes air raids
Meanwhile, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said it completed strikes against Iran in response to the downing of a US Army Apache helicopter.
CENTCOM forces struck Iranian air defence, ground control stations, and surveillance radar sites near the Strait of Hormuz with precision munitions from US Air Force and Navy fighter jets, according to a statement by the Central Command.
The operation was a “proportional response” to recent attacks on US forces and international commercial ships transiting regional waters, it said.
Nearly all missiles and drones launched by Iran were intercepted, a US official said, citing initial assessments.
Furthermore, the US official said they are not aware of any reports of harm to US personnel or known damage to US locations at this time.
