US Launches Fresh Strikes on Southern Iran, Iranian State Media Reports
Explosions heard in Bandar Abbas, Abu Musa, Kish Island and Qeshm Island as US CENTCOM resumes strikes on Iran in response to attacks on US forces, officials say.
Developing story — this page will be updated as information becomes available.
The United States military began a fresh wave of airstrikes on southern Iran late Wednesday, with explosions reported across a cluster of Persian Gulf coast cities and islands including Bandar Abbas, Abu Musa, Kish Island and Qeshm Island, according to Iranian state media and US officials cited by multiple outlets. The Pentagon described the operation as a “powerful response” to attacks on US forces.
What We Know
Iran’s Press TV, as reported by the Jerusalem Post, said explosions were heard in Bandar Abbas — Iran’s largest port and headquarters of its southern naval command — and across three strategic Gulf islands: Abu Musa, Kish and Qeshm. The strikes come after a days-long pause in direct US-Iran fires, according to the Guardian’s live coverage.
The Hill reported that US forces began firing at approximately 8 p.m. Eastern time in retaliation for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ ballistic missile attack on a US base in Jordan the previous day. The Times of Israel cited US officials characterising the operation as a “powerful response” to Iranian attacks targeting American forces in the region.
The targeted geography is significant: Bandar Abbas anchors the northern shore of the Strait of Hormuz, and Abu Musa, Kish and Qeshm sit astride the world’s most important oil chokepoint. Iranian officials have not, at the time of publication, released a casualty count or damage assessment.
What We Don’t Know
CENTCOM has not publicly released a full target list, munition type, or battle-damage assessment. It is not yet clear whether the strikes hit IRGC naval assets, air-defence sites, missile launchers, or other infrastructure — nor whether any US, allied or Iranian personnel were killed. Iran’s response posture and any immediate move against shipping in the Strait of Hormuz are not yet known. This story is developing.
Context
The strikes mark a sharp escalation from the earlier reported US missile impact near Piranshahr in Iran’s northwest, moving direct US fires into the strategically decisive southern Gulf theatre. They follow the IRGC’s ballistic missile attack on a US base in Jordan, which CENTCOM described as a “surprise attack,” and Wednesday’s joint US–Saudi strikes on Iran-backed militias in Iraq that killed at least 20 fighters of the Popular Mobilisation Forces.
President Donald Trump had earlier warned Iran that the US would hit back “very hard” following the Jordan base attack, saying “it’s our turn.” Analysts cited by the Guardian have warned that reciprocal strikes over the past 24 hours push the region into “uncharted territory” and raise the risk of a return to all-out war.
What to Watch
- Whether Iran closes or attempts to interdict the Strait of Hormuz — Bandar Abbas and the three island bases are its primary platforms for doing so.
- CENTCOM’s formal statement, target list and any US casualty figures from earlier IRGC strikes on the Jordan base.
- Crude oil and gold reaction in Asian trading hours; any confirmed damage to Iranian naval or export infrastructure in the Gulf would compound the risk premium already priced in.
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