The latest

Iran began firing missiles and drones late Tuesday in response to renewed US strikes near the Strait of Hormuz, semiofficial Iranian media said, as explosions were seen over the southern Jordanian city of Aqaba. The US military said it was attacking additional targets after recent attempted assaults on commercial shipping in the strait. The exchange ended a month without military action and followed President Donald Trump’s acknowledgment that further strikes might be necessary. Washington has presented the operation as limited, after Trump shifted emphasis last month toward intensifying economic sanctions on Iran.

Details

• US rationale: Trump said the strikes answered an unsuccessful Iranian attempt to place sea mines in the strait and the launch of eight missiles at a US military base in Jordan. He said the mines had been removed or detonated and all eight missiles were intercepted.
• Regional response: Iran had earlier launched missiles at US sites in Jordan, where they were intercepted. The United Arab Emirates said it stopped an Iranian drone over its waters. Explosions over Aqaba were later visible as Tehran announced its retaliation.
• Civilian casualties: A US strike hit a house hosting a wedding in Kuhestak, southern Iran, killing two people and wounding others, Hormozgan Province’s deputy governor Ahmad Nafisi told Iranian state television.
• Trump warning: Trump said a larger attack was “waiting in the wings” and warned that retaliation would bring strikes at a “much harder and higher level.” He described the current attacks as “large and powerful” and tied them directly to mining activity and the missile launch toward Jordan.
• Diplomatic contacts: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian met Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Bishkek. Pezeshkian thanked Russia for support during the war and against US sanctions, calling for cooperation against American “unilateralism.” UN Secretary-General António Guterres separately stressed diplomacy and international law in talks with Pezeshkian.
• Economic squeeze: US sanctions are intensifying as Iran’s rial trades at a record low. Tehran has urged a return to the June memorandum of understanding, while Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi used the Bishkek summit to advocate greater unity and multilateralism.

Background

A day before the latest exchange, the US military struck rocket launchers on Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran then fired missiles toward US positions in Jordan, and the UAE reported intercepting a drone, breaking the month-long pause in military activity.

What’s next

Attention now turns to the US military’s assessment of Tuesday’s targets and damage, further Iranian launch announcements, and interception activity over Jordan and Gulf waters. Commercial shipping movements through the Strait of Hormuz will provide the clearest immediate indicator of whether the confrontation is widening.