The United States carried out fresh strikes against Iranian targets late Saturday, U.S. Central Command said, following an Iranian attack that left two American service members dead in Jordan and a third missing.
Central Command said the strikes began at 6 p.m. ET (2200 GMT) and were ordered by President Donald Trump. The operations were described as intended to degrade Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and to swiftly punish Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) forces that had attacked U.S. personnel in Jordan. Details on specific targets were not released in Central Command’s statement.
Iranian state-linked Mehr news agency reported a U.S. attack near Sirik in southern Iran but said there were no reported casualties or infrastructure damage. Iranian state TV later reported casualties from earlier U.S. strikes in Hormozgan province.
Central Command confirmed the two U.S. service members were killed on Friday and that a third was missing in action, bringing the number of U.S. military deaths since the conflict began to 16 and more than 420 wounded. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted on X that the fallen service members’ sacrifice “only stiffens our resolve.”
The exchanges have intensified since an interim ceasefire signed about a month earlier collapsed last week, raising fears of wider war. Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, issued a written statement carried by official channels accusing the U.S. of showing that President Trump’s signature was “utterly worthless and devoid of credibility,” and warning of “even heavier costs and further humiliation” for the United States. Iranian media have not disclosed Khamenei’s whereabouts.
The recent escalation has extended beyond Iran and the U.S. military to include strikes and counterstrikes affecting Gulf states. Iranian forces claimed attacks on targets in Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan and said they struck a U.S. military support center at Camp Arifjan and damaged a radar facility at Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait. Kuwait’s armed forces said they intercepted Iranian ballistic missiles and drones; Kuwait Petroleum Corporation reported damage and injuries at an oil facility after “repeated Iranian attacks.”
Iranian reports also said the IRGC struck facilities in Bahrain, including areas where U.S. combat aircraft were stationed, and claimed to have destroyed multiple aircraft at the U.S. base in Al Azraq, Jordan. Reuters and other international outlets could not independently verify those Iranian accounts.
Saudi Arabia’s early warning system issued alerts urging residents of Al-Kharj and Yanbu to seek shelter after what two sources described as an Iranian missile attack — the first on Saudi territory in over three months. The IRGC did not acknowledge any strike on Saudi Arabia.
In response to escalating tensions, the U.S. State Department issued a worldwide travel alert for Americans, warning of potential unforeseen escalation in the Middle East and possible flight cancellations or airspace closures.
Control of the Strait of Hormuz has become a central focus. U.S. Central Command said earlier strikes targeted Iranian surveillance sites, military logistics, underground weapons storage and maritime capabilities. Iran’s Health Ministry said recent U.S. strikes over three weeks had killed about 50 people and wounded more than 500. Iranian officials have accused the U.S. of seeking control over the strait, a chokepoint that handles roughly one-fifth of global oil shipments.
Both sides have taken aim at commercial shipping; the U.S. frames its actions as enforcing a naval blockade while Iran says it is acting against vessels that violate its navigation rules. A joint statement reported by Saudi state TV said the European Union and Gulf states urged Iran to immediately cease attacks and interference with maritime navigation and to keep the strait open without conditions or fees.
The conflict traces back to late February when U.S. and Israeli strikes aimed at degrading Iran’s missile program and regional proxies set off broader hostilities that have disrupted energy supplies and raised global economic concerns. With strikes and counterstrikes continuing, regional and international calls for de-escalation have so far failed to halt the violence.