At least 11 people were killed during the latest US bombings against Iran, between Tuesday night and Wednesday. Seven people died and eight were injured in a missile attack in Khuzistan province, in the country's southwest, and four wedding guests were killed in the city of Kuhestak, in Hormozgan province, in the southeast, where around 50 people were injured. The attacks began shortly after Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian called for a return to diplomacy. Iranian state television reported several explosions in the country's south, near Bandar Abbas and Qeshm island, as well as on Lavan island, which hosts an oil export terminal.
In response, Iran attacked US military bases in the Gulf on Wednesday, launching a "decisive retaliation operation" with missiles and drones against "US bases and interests in the region." The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed responsibility for attacks on US military bases in Jordan, Iraq, and Bahrain. The Jordanian army announced it had destroyed ten Iranian missiles, while Kuwait also declared it had been targeted by missiles and drones. Iranian Central Command military spokesman Ebrahim Zolfaghari promised "broader and more destructive retaliation" if US attacks continue.
Hydrocarbon prices surged following the new hostilities, with US WTI crude oil again breaking above the 90-dollar barrier for the first time since late July, and European gas trading at its highest price in three years. The US attacks occurred shortly after two tankers were hit by "projectiles of unknown origin" as they were leaving the Strait of Hormuz.
On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump threatened Iran with "much stronger" attacks if Tehran responded to the offensive. Trump described the ongoing military operation as "large-scale and powerful" and suggested Washington has a even more intense offensive against the Islamic Republic prepared, warning that "that won't be the biggest attack of all; that one is lurking."
