US Launches 'Wide-Scale' Strikes, Iran Initiates 'Decisive Operation'
The United States launched strikes on Iran for the second consecutive day, as Tehran announced a “decisive” retaliatory operation, despite U.S. President Donald Trump’s warning that Iran would face “much heavier and stronger” bombing.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) for the Middle East stated that “U.S. forces began striking targets belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in Iran.” It added that the action was in response to “recent attacks by the IRGC on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and on U.S. military personnel deployed in the region.”
In a post on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump affirmed that the operation was “broad in scope and powerful.” He warned that “if the failed state of Iran responds to this fully justified attack, it will face another strike much heavier and stronger.” He further asserted that if he followed through on his threat, “very little of the Islamic Republic of Iran would remain.”
However, the IRGC quickly announced that Iran would make the United States “regret” its new attacks.
Subsequently, Iranian media reported that the Iranian military had launched a decisive operation against U.S. targets in the region. The Tasnim News Agency stated that a “decisive operation by the Iranian Armed Forces had begun in response to the American enemy,” adding that “Iranian missiles and drones were targeting U.S. bases and interests in the region.” The Fars News Agency reported that “missiles and drones were launched from Iran” toward undisclosed targets. Meanwhile, Jordanian television broadcast that air raid sirens had sounded in the country.
The IRGC announced that seven of its members were killed in U.S. strikes that targeted dozens of sites in southern and western Iran. Authorities reported civilian casualties in the attacks, and Tehran expanded its missile retaliation to include U.S. bases in the region.
The IRGC reported that four members of a missile unit were killed in western Kermanshah province in a U.S. attack. Iranian media also reported that three members of the Basij, the paramilitary arm of the IRGC, were killed in strikes on Lavan Island.
In Ahvaz, in southwestern Iran, the state IRNA news agency quoted the deputy governor for security and law enforcement, Velayat Hayati, as saying that seven people were killed and eight others injured in U.S. strikes targeting three sites, including Ahvaz and Aghajari. It remained unclear whether the deceased were civilians or military personnel.
In Hormozgan province, the head of the province’s University of Medical Sciences said that four people were killed and 68 others injured in a strike on Sirik. He added that 19 of the injured were children under the age of 10, including seven boys and 12 girls.
