WASHINGTON: US strikes on Iran hit dozens of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targets early Thursday during a two-hour operation launched after Tehran fired missiles at American forces in Jordan.
The US Central Command said its forces struck military command centres, missile and drone facilities, coastal defences, surveillance sites and maritime capabilities. The operation ran from 3:30 a.m. to 5:30 a.m. in Iran on Thursday, July 30.
CENTCOM described the operation as a response to multiple ballistic missiles launched from Iran on Tuesday. It said the US and allied defences intercepted all the missiles.
Iran confirmed that it targeted US military installations in Jordan. The Jordanian military said its air defences destroyed five Iranian missiles that entered the country’s airspace, according to the Associated Press.
US President Donald Trump had promised retaliation after the Iranian attack. He told reporters Wednesday that American forces would “hit them very hard” while Washington continued pursuing negotiations with Tehran.
The latest US strikes followed joint American and Saudi attacks on Iran-aligned armed groups in Iraq. Iraq’s Popular Mobilisation Forces said those attacks killed at least 20 members and injured 32.
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The conflict began on February 28 when the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran. A temporary pause in US attacks ended after the latest Iranian missile launches.
