Iran launches retaliatory strikes against US bases in Jordan, Gulf region
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TEHRAN – Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Wednesday they launched retaliatory strikes against a US military base in Jordan and 21 other targets across the Gulf region following American attacks on Iranian military facilities near the Strait of Hormuz. The latest escalation marks one of the most majorconfrontations between US and Iran since both sides agreed to a ceasefire in April, raising fresh concerns about regional stability and prospects for a negotiated end to the conflict. According to Iranian state media, the strikes targeted locations in Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain after the US military carried out operations against Iranian air defence systems, command facilities and surveillance radar installations near the strategically important Strait of Hormuz. Washington said the attacks were conducted in response to the downing of a US Apache helicopter by Iranian forces a day earlier. US President Donald Trump defended the military action, saying the response to the helicopter incident had been “very strong” and “very powerful.” A US official said nearly 20 Iranian targets were struck during the operation, which lasted about four hours. Iranian media reported attacks on Qeshm Island and the port city of Sirik, while explosions were also heard in Bandar Abbas and areas near Jask at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz. In a statement carried by Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency, the Revolutionary Guards claimed they had fired long-range missiles at four major military targets in Jordan, including facilities linked to F-35 fighter aircraft and a US command centre in Al-Azraq. However, Jordan’s military said its air defence systems intercepted five Iranian missiles and reported no casualties or damage. The confrontation quickly spread across the Gulf. Air raid sirens were activated in Bahrain after Iran claimed responsibility for attacks on a US military installation there. Bahraini authorities said the country’s air defences successfully intercepted inc