Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya central headquarters announced that its forces had responded to overnight US attacks by striking and destroying American military bases in the region the semi-official Mehr news agency reported. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed it launched ballistic missiles and drones targeting US assets in Jordan Bahrain and Kuwait Al-Monitor reported citing the IRGC statement. Iranian officials said the US strikes killed five people and wounded 68 others at a site in southern Hormozgan province where a wedding was underway according to images and details distributed by Tasnim news agency.
The latest exchange marks a resumption of direct hostilities that first erupted in February 2026 when joint American and Israeli operations targeted Iranian sites and killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei a Viimes assessment published in July stated. A subsequent memorandum of understanding reached in June provided a temporary truce including sanctions relief and talks on the nuclear file but fighting restarted in July the same report noted. Iranian leaders interpreted the diplomatic pause as a tactic to prepare further strikes The Wall Street Journal reported citing Arab intelligence officials and Iranian analysts.
More than 400 kilograms of 60 percent enriched uranium remain unaccounted for in assessments of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure even after damage inflicted during earlier rounds of conflict The Jerusalem Post reported in June citing officials familiar with the evaluations. Iran’s ballistic missile production capacity was also set back with around 2,600 related targets destroyed in the 2026 operations according to the same Jerusalem Post article. International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors have yet to regain full access to key sites complicating verification efforts the newspaper added.
US Central Command confirmed carrying out strikes on Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targets in Iran but has not released a full accounting of results or casualties from the Iranian response. Iranian statements claimed significant damage to US positions in Jordan including a Marine Corps base in Aqaba though independent verification remained unavailable as of Wednesday evening Al-Monitor reported. The strikes have raised concerns about further escalation involving Iranian proxy groups in Iraq Lebanon and Yemen a pattern seen in prior confrontations the Viimes assessment found.
Inside Iran the renewed fighting has disrupted electricity supplies and internet access while pushing up prices for the dollar and gold according to local economic reports cited by the Jerusalem Post. Gasoline prices could double in coming weeks if the conflict persists Iranian officials have warned in statements carried by state media. The cycle of attacks and counterstrikes has unfolded against a backdrop of stalled nuclear negotiations that have persisted since the collapse of the 2015 agreement with world powers.
Arab intelligence services detected Iranian planning for broader regional attacks during the brief truce period including coordination with allied militias The Wall Street Journal reported in August. A Tehran-based defense analyst told the newspaper that many in Iran believe the main phase of conflict has yet to begin. Preparations included dispatching advisors to Iraq Yemen and Lebanon to align proxy responses the report added.
