The clash with the United States has now intensified as warplanes in the United States have struck targets in Iran and Tehran has attacked US interests in the Middle East. Strikes by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), in the Strait of Hormuz over the past days, led to the latest attacks against commercial shipping in the area, said the US Central Command (CENTCOM).
The US strikes reportedly resulted in the deaths of at least four people, including a child, and serious injury of about 50 people. Iranian police reported on Saturday that shrapnel from an American missile hit a house during a wedding in the southern Iranian town of Sirik.
Iran then went on to attack American facilities in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan, as local state media reported. Iran’s leadership has also warned of any further attacks by the USA.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojatba Khamenei, in his first message since direct bombings resumed this week, revealed that Iran’s armed forces are scheduled to have “unforgettable lessons” for Washington. In an interview with DW, IRGC spokesman Hossein Mohebi also said the attack on Wednesday was a regret for the United States which would be “punished severely” for its wrongdoing.
Washington initiated the latest push by carrying out strikes on Iranian targets for the first time in months Sunday. In response, Tehran hit two oil tankers on their own in separate cases and US troops in the UAE and Jordan.
More U.S. strikes were reported on Tuesday with Iranian state television saying that explosions occurred on an island in the Gulf of Iran and in southern Iran near the strategically important Strait of Hormuz. A city hall also was apparently targeted in Kerman province.
The conflict reignited suspicions of threats to local security and disruption to crucial energy and commercial shipping lanes.