US launches new attacks on Iran as Tehran targets Gulf sites

The United States subject says it has launched different question of strikes connected Iran, portion Tehran says it retaliated with rocket and drone attacks against US subject assets successful Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan.

US Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees US subject operations successful the Middle East, said it concluded an evening question of strikes against Iran astatine 9pm ET connected Wednesday (01:00 GMT connected Thursday), targeting “Iranian bid centres, aerial defence sites, rocket and drone capabilities, and coastal surveillance facilities” successful an effort to trim Iran’s quality to disrupt shipping done the Strait of Hormuz.

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CENTCOM said the 90-minute cognition targeted the confederate larboard metropolis of Bandar Abbas, a cardinal Iranian naval hub overlooking the Strait of Hormuz, arsenic good arsenic coastal defence and cruise rocket sites connected Greater Tunb island, 1 of 3 islands adjacent the entranceway to the waterway.

Iranian aerial defences were activated implicit the capital, Tehran, arsenic authorities media reported attacks crossed overmuch of the country. Explosions were reported successful Bandar Abbas and connected adjacent Qeshm land successful the south, arsenic good arsenic successful the southeastern coastal towns of Sirik, Chabahar and Konarak. Iranian media besides reported attacks further inland successful Rask, Khondab, Khorramabad and Semnan.

Iranian authorities said determination were nary casualties successful Pakdasht oregon astatine the Parchin subject analyzable adjacent Tehran.

In the bluish Iranian metropolis of Semnan, the IRIB, citing a elder information official, said determination were nary deaths oregon injuries pursuing an attack.

Reporting from Tehran, Al Jazeera’s Resul Serdar Atas said this was the 2nd reported US onslaught connected bluish Iran wrong a week.

“The main gathering of a civilian airdrome successful Semnan was attacked by the Americans,” helium said. “There has been insignificant harm astatine the airport. Also, successful the aforesaid city, a retention installation was hit.”

In southwestern Iran, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it intercepted and changeable down a US MQ-9 drone implicit Andimeshk successful Khuzestan province.

Iran’s Ministry of Health has said astatine slightest 35 radical person been killed and much than 300 injured since the latest circular of warring began past week.

Iran claims attacks connected US bases

Iran says it carried retired retaliatory rocket and drone attacks against facilities utilized by the US subject successful Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan, with the service saying it targeted US radar and aerial defence systems successful Kuwait and Bahrain.

In a connection carried by authorities media, it said missiles struck Patriot rocket batteries and substance tanks utilized by US forces astatine Ali Al Salem Air Base successful Kuwait.

Kuwait said it intercepted 4 cruise missiles and 21 drones launched from Iran from Wednesday to aboriginal Thursday.

The Iranian service said drones targeted communications equipment, Super Hawk radar systems and Patriot aerial defence installations utilized by US forces astatine Sheikh Isa Air Base successful Bahrain.

The Iranian subject besides claimed rocket and drone attacks connected Jordan’s al-Azraq Air Base.

In a connection addressed to the Jordanian people, the IRGC said it had “targeted and destroyed the American combatant pitchy retention ramp and the caller American bid and power centre successful West Asia successful a precise ample basal successful Al-Azraq, Jordan, with Khyber-Shakan ballistic missiles”.

The connection came aft Jordan’s subject said it intercepted 8 Iranian missiles earlier connected Wednesday.

The latest escalation comes little than a period aft Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of knowing extending an April ceasefire and outlining plans for negotiations aimed astatine ending the war, which began connected February 28 with Israeli and US strikes connected Iran. The US and Iran person since accused the different of violating the agreement.

Trump raises imaginable of wider strikes

Al Jazeera’s Rosiland Jordan, reporting from Washington, DC, said US President Donald Trump has progressively signalled a willingness to broaden the scope of US subject operations.

“The US president has said respective times this week that helium is consenting to grow US subject enactment against Iran, not conscionable targeting subject facilities – including retention depots, rocket motorboat sites and vessels that are portion of the Iranian navy – but helium has besides raised the spectre of targeting what could beryllium considered civilian targets, specified arsenic powerfulness plants, bridges and different parts of Iranian infrastructure,” she said.

“That is legally precise questionable and has brought disapproval against the Trump medication before, earlier successful this war.”

Meanwhile, amid the US blockade connected Iranian ports and Tehran’s blockage of the Strait of Hormuz, CENTCOM besides said US forces disabled an lipid tanker attempting to sail towards an Iranian larboard successful the Strait of Hormuz by firing Hellfire missiles.

“Forces observed Curacao-flagged M/T Belma transiting planetary waters toward Kharg Island. The commercialized vas ignored aggregate warnings arsenic it attempted to interruption the US blockade. A US craft disabled the vas aft firing Hellfire missiles into the ship’s smokestack. The vessel is nary longer transiting to Iran,” CENTCOM said.

“During the archetypal 24 hours of enforcement, CENTCOM has redirected 2 compliant commercialized vessels and disabled 1 non-compliant vessel,” it added.