The United States and Iran have stepped up their military confrontation. The US launched a fresh wave of strikes. Iran responded with attacks on US interests in the region. The latest escalation has raised concerns about the security of the Strait of Hormuz. The waterway plays a major role in global shipping and energy supplies.

US Central Command said American forces struck several targets linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Tuesday. The targets included “air defense sites, radar systems, maritime assets and facilities, mine laying capabilities, and communications sites” linked to the IRGC.

Central Command said the US carried out the strikes after recent IRGC attempts to attack commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz. It also cited attacks targeting American service members.

“The strikes follow recent attempted attacks by the IRGC against commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and against American service members,” Central Command said in a statement posted on X.

Civilian casualties reported in Iran

The latest US strikes also caused civilian casualties, according to Iranian officials. At least five people died after a residential building in Kuhestak, Sirik, came under attack. The coastal area lies near the Strait of Hormuz. A four-year-old child was reportedly among those killed.

Iran’s IRNA news agency cited a provincial official and reported 68 wounded people. Iranian officials strongly condemned the strike. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei linked the incident to a wider series of attacks. He also mentioned earlier strikes in Minab, Lamerd and Qeshm.

“This cruelty cannot be separated from the chain of atrocities that preceded it in #Minab, #Lamerd, Qeshm and elsewhere nor from the strikes on military targets that were dressed in deceptive justifications,” Baqaei said.

Trump issues strong warning

US President Donald Trump said the US launched the strikes in response to Iran’s alleged efforts to place mines in the Strait of Hormuz. Trump also linked the strikes to an earlier Iranian attack on a US military base. He warned Iran against launching another attack in response.

Trump said Iran would face much stronger US action if it retaliated. He warned that “very little will be left of the nation" if Iran responds to the latest US strikes near the Strait of Hormuz. Trump also claimed that Washington had “almost total control” of the key waterway.

He said US sanctions had placed heavy pressure on Iran’s economy. He also referred to his strategy as an “economic D-day” approach to the conflict.

“If the failed Nation of Iran retaliates for this very justified attack, they will be hit again at a much harder and higher level, but it will not be the biggest attack of them all, that is waiting in the wings and, when it is over, there will be very little left of the Islamic Republic of Iran!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Iran launches retaliatory strikes

Iran later launched retaliatory attacks against US interests in the region. Iran targeted US-linked interests in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan on Wednesday. The attacks came after Iranian officials promised “severe punishment” in response to the US strikes.

The Iranian response also followed an attack that the Iranian Red Crescent said killed four people at a wedding celebration. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards also claimed that Iranian forces attacked an American military facility in Jordan. Iranian news outlet Tasnim reported that Iran targeted the US Marine Corps base Camp Titin in Jordan with an “intense ballistic missile attack”.

The latest attacks have sharply increased tensions between Washington and Tehran. The Strait of Hormuz remains at the centre of the conflict. The waterway is vital to global trade and energy supplies. The escalating confrontation has also raised fears of further military action in the region.