Iran Launches Missile and Drone Attacks on US Bases Following Reported Civilian Casualties

Tehran has conducted missile and drone attacks on US targets in Jordan, Kuwait, Iraq, and Bahrain after American forces resumed strikes against Iran on Tuesday. The Iranian Red Crescent reported that five people, including a child, were killed and over 50 injured when shrapnel from a US missile attack struck a home during a wedding celebration in Sirik, southern Iran. The US military acknowledged the reports but stated it does not target civilians. US Central Command (Centcom) indicated that the strikes on Iran were in response to 'recent attempted attacks' by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) against commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and US forces in the region. The IRGC warned that the US would 'regret' the strikes and subsequently launched ballistic missiles at a US Marine base in Aqaba, Jordan, with the Jordanian Armed Forces intercepting 13 missiles, destroying 10, while three fell in unpopulated areas without causing casualties. The Kuwait army reported that its air defenses were activated in response to Iranian missile attacks, and explosions were also reported in Bahrain. The IRGC claimed to have struck US bases in Iraq's Kurdistan region, damaging a maintenance center, warehouses, and equipment. The US had resumed attacks on Iran earlier in the week after a month-long pause, targeting rocket launchers used to lay mines in the Strait of Hormuz. Centcom stated that the latest attacks against IRGC targets commenced at 12:00 ET (16:00 GMT) and were completed by early Wednesday. Iranian state media reported that projectiles hit areas including Chabahar and Konarak and an airport in Jiroft, with explosions heard in Qeshm island and Bandar Abbas. US Navy Captain Tim Hawkins, representing Centcom, commented on the reports from Iranian state media regarding the Sirik attack, asserting that the US military does not target civilians, unlike the IRGC. The US and Israel had initiated extensive strikes on Iran on February 28, prompting Iranian retaliatory actions against Israel, US bases, and allied states in the Gulf, effectively closing the Strait of Hormuz to marine traffic. A US-Iran agreement to extend an April ceasefire was signed in June but has since expired, leading to renewed hostilities. Both nations have engaged in attacks on shipping, with Iran targeting vessels it claims attempted to cross the strait without permission and the US enforcing a naval blockade on Iranian ports. On August 24, the US announced a new sanctions campaign against Iran and countries continuing trade with it. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated that many US allies expressed their commitment to take necessary actions regarding the sanctions against Iran. Iranian officials and state media have largely dismissed the sanctions campaign as a continuation of previous US economic measures, which they argue followed Washington's military failures in the ongoing conflict.