US launches 'heavy' strikes on Iran after attempted attack on American troops

The US military announced on Wednesday that it had launched 'heavy' strikes against Iran in response to attempted Iranian ballistic missile attacks on American troops. Centcom reported hitting 'dozens' of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targets after Iran fired on US bases in Jordan and ships in the Strait of Hormuz the previous day.

The escalation comes a day after the conflict expanded with the first publicly announced joint US-Saudi strikes targeting Iranian proxies in Iraq. When the US and Israel launched military strikes on Iran in February, President Donald Trump predicted the war would last only a few weeks, but it has now continued for five months with no end in sight.

Axios reported, citing an unnamed US official, that Trump met with Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, who conveyed Saudi Arabia's desire to de-escalate tensions. The BBC has contacted the White House for comment.

The conflict reignited after several days of relative calm, during which both sides halted strikes and talks reportedly restarted in hopes of a diplomatic solution. Trump called them 'very friendly negotiations,' though Tehran denied any discussions were taking place.

The strikes began at 20:00 ET (01:00 BST on Thursday) and lasted about an hour. Centcom described them as a 'powerful response to yesterday's attempted Iranian attacks on US forces based in the Middle East.' All of Iran's missiles were intercepted, Centcom said. The US targeted 'military command centers, missile and drone facilities, coastal surveillance and defense sites, and maritime capabilities,' according to Centcom.

Hours before the announced strikes, Trump vowed retaliation, telling reporters: 'We're going to be hitting them very hard because it's our turn to hit them. They know it's coming. They asked us not to do it.'

The IRGC said it had targeted a US air base and a command centre in Jordan 'in response to the acts of aggression of the American child-killing army.' It also claimed naval forces struck three oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz after they 'ignored warnings' and sailed along what it described as an 'unsafe and illegal route.'

Last Friday, Trump suspended an intensive bombing campaign that had lasted 13 consecutive nights. The US said it had targeted Iranian weapons and military sites, with scores of reported deaths.

On Tuesday, Centcom said joint US-Saudi strikes hit 'multiple terrorist logistics and weapons sites across eastern Iraq in a strong response to over 30 IRGC-directed aerial drone attacks in the last 72 hours.' Iraq's paramilitary Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), dominated by Iran-backed Shia militias, said at least 20 of its members were killed in strikes on its bases. The Iraqi presidency denounced the bombing as 'an unacceptable attack and a blatant violation of Iraq's sovereignty.' However, Trump told Fox News the strikes were 'co-ordinated with the Iraqi government.'

Saudi Arabia, the leading Sunni Muslim power, and Iran, the largest Shia Muslim country, have been engaged in a decades-long struggle for regional dominance.