The United States announced on Sunday that it had carried out a series of airstrikes intended to retaliate against Iran following the first American military fatalities since hostilities with the Islamic Republic intensified.
Iran responded quickly, claiming it launched attacks on two US military installations in Kuwait in retaliation for more than a week of escalating US operations. Tehran said those attacks had targeted key infrastructure, including an airport, railway station, and several bridges.
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Meanwhile, an initial agreement designed to end the conflict has broken down, with both sides remaining locked in a dispute over the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, a vital route for global oil shipments.
Iran’s military said it deployed drones against two US bases in Kuwait, striking an ammunition storage facility at Camp Udairi and damaging Patriot missile defense radar and air surveillance equipment at Ali Al Salem Air Base.
Tehran also reported launching new attacks in Jordan, where the US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed that two American service members were killed on Friday while defending against Iranian ballistic missile and drone assaults. Another US soldier remains missing.
The latest casualties increase the confirmed number of US military personnel killed since the US-Israeli military campaign began on February 28 to 16.
US officials said American forces carried out an eighth straight night of airstrikes, targeting Iranian units believed to be responsible for the attack that killed the two US troops in Jordan.
According to CENTCOM, the strikes were intended to deliver a rapid response against forces of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which Washington says orchestrated the attacks on American personnel.
Iranian news agencies Fars and Tasnim reported that US forces also struck Sirik, a southern Iranian port situated along the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran’s Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, who succeeded his father after he was killed during the opening phase of the US-Israeli offensive, vowed that the United States would receive an “unforgettable lesson,” according to state television.
Senior military adviser Major General Mohsen Rezaei warned that Iran would resume full-scale offensive operations if US attacks continued in the coming days.
Ali Abdollahi, one of Iran’s top military commanders, also cautioned that any further American military action would be met with a decisive and overwhelming response, state media reported on Sunday.
The latest escalation traces back to Iranian attacks on vessels operating in the Strait of Hormuz. After the conflict erupted, Iran shut down the crucial waterway, using control of the route as leverage during negotiations with Washington. In response, the United States reinstated a blockade on Iranian ports earlier in the week.
Iran’s Health Ministry reported on Friday that the renewed fighting had resulted in 50 deaths and left more than 500 people injured.
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