Iranian Retaliatory Strikes Target US Bases In First Escalation In Weeks

U.S. forces on Sunday, struck two Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) rocket launchers on Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz, marking the first direct American military action against Iran in over a month. Iranian authorities reported that several IRGC fighters and civilians were killed or wounded in the attack.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) claimed in an X post, that IRGC forces were observed preparing to launch rockets carrying sea mines into the Strait of Hormuz, posing an "imminent threat" to navigation. And that U.S. forces conducted a "limited, precise" strike on two IRGC launchers on Larak Island.

In retaliation it designated Operation 'Punishment of the Aggressor,' the IRGC launched a combined ballistic missile and drone attack on two U.S. air bases in Jordan: King Hussein Air Base and Muwaffaq Salti Air Base. The IRGC claimed to have destroyed technical and maintenance infrastructure, fighter jet deployment sites, and command-and-control centers at both Jordanian bases.

Jordan’s Armed Forces intercepted eight missiles that entered its airspace. A U.S. official confirmed that "nearly all" incoming missiles were intercepted, with no major damage or significant injuries reported to U.S. forces in Jordan.

Emergency alerts were issued in Dubai, Qatar, and Kuwait. Unconfirmed reports indicated cruise missiles were also launched toward U.S. naval vessels in the Gulf of Oman.

Iranian officials, including Ebrahim Azizi, warned that any further attack would result in a "devastating" response; while the U.S. Treasury announced plans for new sanctions on Iranian banks.

Sunday's exchange marks a sharp escalation in the intermittent U.S.-Iran conflict, following a month-long lull in direct military strikes.

The number of commodity vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz have reportedly dropped to five per day over the weekend as companies treaded cautiously amid the escalation. Crude oil prices climbed by more than 2%, rising above $90 per barrel, fueled by concerns over energy supply disruptions.