US Strikes Iran; Iran Missiles Target Jordan

The United States conducted additional airstrikes in Iran on Sunday, retaliating for the killing of U.S. troops. Concurrently, Iran launched missiles toward Jordan, a move that risked escalating the conflict to include neighboring Israel. This exchange marks a significant step back towards open warfare between the two nations, as a prior interim agreement to cease hostilities has collapsed and shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz has been disrupted. Both the U.S. and Iran have reportedly targeted civilian infrastructure vital to millions.

The U.S. military stated that its latest strikes were aimed at Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, in direct response to the deaths of U.S. soldiers in Jordan on Friday. This ongoing campaign, now in its second week, has seen U.S. forces target infrastructure including bridges, water desalination plants, and electrical facilities within Iran. In retaliation, Tehran has launched attacks against U.S.-allied nations across the Middle East. Kuwait, Jordan, and Bahrain reported activating their air defenses on Sunday in response to incoming Iranian drones and missiles. Israel issued a warning that Iranian missiles directed at Jordan could potentially lead to the conflict spilling over into Israeli territory for the first time in weeks.

The U.S. military’s Central Command detailed that its strikes hit "Iranian military coastal surveillance and air defense facilities, maritime capabilities and missile and drone storage sites." The stated objective of this attack was to diminish Iran's capacity to control the Strait of Hormuz and to "swiftly punish Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces." The Revolutionary Guard is identified as a critical component of Iran's theocracy and oversees its ballistic missile arsenal. Visual evidence released by the U.S. military appears to show strikes executed by fighter jets and Tomahawk cruise missiles launched from naval vessels. One identified target location was situated in a mountainous valley, a common area for the Guard's missile bases and military equipment. Iran's atomic energy agency has also reported that U.S. strikes impacted the construction site of a planned nuclear power plant.