The United States and Iran exchanged new attacks on Wednesday, ending a brief lull and raising renewed concern about the conflict’s effect on Gulf shipping and global oil supplies.
US Central Command said American forces struck Iranian Revolutionary Guard targets, including air-defence, radar, maritime, communications and mine-laying facilities.
Iran said it attacked US assets in Jordan and Iraq, while Iranian media also reported an attack directed at Bahrain. US officials said an initial assessment found no casualties in Jordan. Some claims about strikes elsewhere had not been independently confirmed at the time of publication.
Jordan said its forces intercepted 10 of 13 ballistic missiles, with the remaining three falling in remote areas. Bahrain said it had intercepted drones.
Iranian authorities also reported casualties after a strike near Sirik. The Iranian Red Crescent said five people were killed and 50 wounded at a wedding, while state news agency IRNA gave a higher injury figure. The United States had not responded to that claim.
The renewed fighting follows a lull in major exchanges since July. It comes as markets continue to watch the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping route for oil and gas exports from the Gulf.
Any disruption to tanker traffic through the strait can affect international fuel prices, including the cost of imported petroleum products in South Africa. There was no confirmed closure of the route in the reports available on Wednesday morning.
