U.S. Central Command said Tuesday it had carried out a fresh wave of strikes against Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targets across Iran, hitting air defense sites, radar systems, maritime assets, mine-laying capabilities and communications facilities.
CENTCOM said the operation, completed the evening of September 1, followed recent IRGC attempts to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and against American service members. The command said more than 50,000 U.S. troops remain deployed across the Middle East and “remain vigilant, lethal, and prepared to continue executing operations directed by the Commander in Chief.”
President Trump warned Tehran the United States would hit back “much harder” and said Iran risked being “totally wiped out as a country” if it retaliated, according to Fox News.
Iranian state media reported Tehran launched missiles and drones in response, and claimed one of its air defense systems downed a U.S. MQ-9 drone near Khomein, though this could not be independently verified. Jordan’s military said it intercepted 10 of 13 ballistic missiles that entered its airspace from Iran, with the remaining three landing in remote areas and no casualties reported. Kuwait’s army also reported its air defenses engaging incoming missiles and drones.
Tuesday’s exchange marked the latest escalation in a conflict that began in late February, following a lull after a 13-day CENTCOM bombing campaign in mid-July and a June memorandum of understanding that quickly broke down. The Strait of Hormuz has remained the principal flashpoint, with Iran restricting shipping through the waterway for much of the conflict.
