US launches fresh strikes on Iran after days-long pause, amid fears of widening war

The US military launched new strikes against Iranian targets on Wednesday, retaliating for Tehran's attack on a base in Jordan that hosts US troops. The strikes came after a days-long pause in violence and following President Donald Trump's vow to hit Iran "very hard."

Iranian state media reported two people injured in attacks on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz, with explosions also heard in Khuzestan province. US Central Command said it struck "dozens" of targets belonging to Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps over two hours, including military command centers, missile and drone facilities, and coastal surveillance and defense sites.

The barrage followed joint US-Saudi strikes on Iran-backed militias in neighboring Iraq on Wednesday, which killed at least 20 fighters and six Iranian advisers. Elsewhere, drone strikes ignited fires on two natural gas vessels at the Egyptian port of Damietta, with no immediate claim of responsibility. Asked if Iran was behind those strikes, Trump said: "It's a little more of the same. In the meantime, we're going to be hitting them very hard because it's our turn to hit them."

Analysts said the flare-ups on multiple fronts after several days of relative calm pushed the region into "uncharted territory," highlighting the difficulty of ending a five-month conflict that has jolted the world economy and remains unpopular among Americans. The renewed hostilities sent oil prices spiking, with Brent crude jumping 7.3% to over $88 a barrel.

Saudi Arabia is also locked in a renewed conflict with the Houthis, who have declared a blockade of Saudi shipping. On Monday, the Houthis said they launched drones targeting oil facilities used to transport oil across Saudi Arabia to the Red Sea port of Yanbu, a key bypass for Saudi exports blocked by Iran's chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz.