US launches strikes on Iranian targets a day after it foiled missile attack on American forces

WASHINGTON (AP) The U.S. military says it has launched strikes on Iranian targets in response to Tehran’s attack on American forces across the Middle East. The announcement came Wednesday evening, as Washington warned that further attacks will meet an even firmer response—an unmistakable message that the United States intends to protect its troops and its allies, and will not accept aggression as the new normal.

According to U.S. Central Command, the latest barrage followed yesterday’s “attempted Iranian attack.” In a statement posted to social media, CENTCOM described the strikes as “a powerful response,” tying the operation directly to violence aimed at American personnel.

The move escalates an already volatile chain of events. Earlier, the U.S. partnered with Saudi Arabia to strike Iran-backed militias in neighboring Iraq. That operation reportedly killed at least 20 fighters and six Iranian advisers. The latest actions suggest Washington is not only retaliating after attacks, but also targeting the networks that enable them—networks that, time and again, have blurred the line between direct Iranian operations and proxies acting on Iran’s behalf.

At the center of the unfolding crisis is President Donald Trump’s pledge to respond. After Iran targeted a base in Jordan that hosts U.S. troops, Trump vowed retaliation. Asked at an Oval Office event whether Iran was responsible for strikes on natural gas vessels, the President replied, “It’s a little more of the same.” He added that “it’s going to be straightening out,” and said the United States would keep “hitting them very hard,” insisting that “it’s our turn to hit them.”

Those words are now being measured in smoke and fire across a broad region.

Elsewhere, drone strikes ignited fires on two natural gas vessels at Egypt’s port of Damietta, according to the British maritime security firm Ambrey. The report said it was unclear who carried out the attacks on a U.S.-owned floating storage facility and a Greek-owned tanker. Authorities reported no injuries. Even without confirmed responsibility, the pattern is clear: energy infrastructure—whether at sea or along key supply chains—continues to be a favored target for those seeking leverage through disruption.

The renewed hostilities come after several days of relative calm, but the pause appears temporary at best. Officials and observers say the flare-ups on multiple fronts increase the risk of the conflict returning to all-out war. The instability threatens more than lives and regional security—it also raises the cost of doing business globally and complicates efforts to wind down a five-month conflict that has jolted markets and remains unpopular with many Americans.

Egypt—long a close U.S. ally and mediator—has largely avoided direct military action during the war. A strike by Iran or its allies that reaches Egyptian territory would represent a major widening of the conflict, turning a regional crisis into something broader and harder to contain.

The situation in Jordan also intensified earlier in the week. Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard said it fired ballistic missiles at Jordan’s Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, described as a key U.S. military hub. Jordan’s military said five missiles were intercepted and destroyed, with no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

Meanwhile, U.S. and Saudi fighter aircraft carried out strikes in eastern Iraq following alleged drone attacks on Saudi Arabia. The Saudi Defense Ministry said it does not seek escalation, but warned it will respond to aggression—language that underscores the fragile balance between deterrence and escalation. The Popular Mobilization Forces, a coalition of primarily Shiite armed groups officially under Iraqi command, said at least 20 fighters were killed and 32 wounded in overnight strikes. Two Iraqi militia officials told the Associated Press—speaking anonymously due to lack of authorization—that six Iranian advisers were also killed.

Iraq’s response has been sharply critical. The Iraqi government condemned the U.S.-Saudi attacks, including concerns about sovereignty. Iraqi officials said the airstrikes were carried out while the government was in contact with relevant parties to investigate and address concerns raised by Saudi and American sides. The National Security Council also stated that “a number of innocent people” had been killed and wounded.

Diplomacy, for now, is working in parallel with force. Mediators had expressed optimism about bringing the U.S. and Iran back to negotiations, but those hopes have been undermined by continued fighting—particularly around the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial waterway for energy supplies. Iranian attacks have effectively closed the strait again, prompting renewed alarm throughout global shipping and energy markets.

Regional officials say they are still trying with both sides to restore calm and get a ceasefire back on track. But internal assessments are pessimistic: one Arab official described the situation as “very bad,” saying prospects for successful mediation were slim because both sides show no inclination to stop launching attacks.

And the energy market is reacting to the uncertainty. Oil prices surged Wednesday following the latest developments. Brent crude jumped 7.3% to $88.093 per barrel—an increase that reflects not only the immediate danger but also the fear that supply routes could be disrupted further.

Saudi Arabia’s own security challenges add another layer. The kingdom is engaged in a renewed conflict with the Houthis in Yemen. The rebels have declared a blockade of Saudi shipping that could choke off another crucial Middle East trade route: the Bab el-Mandeb strait, from the Red Sea into the Gulf of Aden. The Houthis say their actions are in response to Saudi drone activity, tying multiple theaters into a wider conflict driven by retaliation.

The Strait of Hormuz remains the biggest strategic flashpoint of all. Iran rejects proposals that would normalize access and return traffic to “prewar” conditions. Iran’s deputy foreign minister said Tehran rejected an Oman proposal to jointly manage ship traffic, describing it as inconsistent with Iran’s approach. Instead, Iran says its policy is for the strait “never to return to its prewar situation,” and Iran has put forward a temporary transit plan through its territorial waters.

As this crisis deepens, one thing is becoming unmistakable: the United States appears determined to treat Iranian aggression as a direct threat to national security, not as a manageable background risk. And with retaliatory strikes expanding across borders and domains—from missile defense in Jordan to attacks on energy infrastructure off Egypt—the question facing policymakers is not whether violence will continue, but whether it can be controlled before it becomes irreversible.