US forces struck Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targets in Iran on Tuesday, marking a fresh escalation in the six-month-old conflict centered on the Strait of Hormuz. The strikes followed Iranian attempts to mine the strategic waterway and launch missiles at a US base in Jordan, with oil prices rising nearly 4% on the day as Brent crude futures jumped on supply disruption fears.
The attacks began at noon ET, targeting locations including Qeshm Island, Bandar Abbas, Chabahar, Jask, and Sirik, according to Iranian state media. US Central Command confirmed the strikes were in retaliation for IRGC actions against commercial shipping and American personnel in the region. President Trump warned that any Iranian retaliation would invite even harsher US responses.
Iranian officials vowed to prevent oil exports from the Gulf, with parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf stating no one would be able to export oil if the US attempted to block Iranian shipments. Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei criticized Washington for what he called excessive demands and a failure to honor a June memorandum of understanding intended to de-escalate the conflict.
Tensions remain high as both sides have pledged further responses to additional attacks. While Trump characterized the latest exchange as a limited confrontation rather than a return to full-scale war, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian indicated Tehran would reciprocate immediately if the US upheld its commitments under the expired ceasefire agreement, leaving the path forward uncertain.