The United States military has carried out a significant wave of strikes against Iran, targeting dozens of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) positions. This action serves as retaliation for Iran's attempted ballistic missile attacks on American forces in Jordan and on ships in the Strait of Hormuz earlier this week. The strikes were described as "heavy" by US officials.

These latest hostilities mark a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict between the US and Iran, which has seen a pattern of escalating strikes and counter-strikes since a ceasefire collapsed in June. The conflict has expanded in recent days, with the first publicly announced joint US-Saudi strikes targeting Iranian proxies in Iraq.

Iranian state media reported that the US strikes resulted in casualties, including three people killed on Qeshm island, among them a two-year-old child. Other locations in the south and west of the country were also reportedly hit. The US Central Command (Centcom) stated that all Iranian missiles fired at US bases were intercepted.

The US strikes, which commenced on Wednesday evening and lasted approximately an hour, were aimed at military command centers, missile and drone facilities, coastal surveillance sites, and maritime capabilities. Centcom characterized the action as a "powerful response" to Iran's earlier actions.

The conflict between Iran and the US has intensified after a period of relative calm, during which both sides had reportedly halted strikes amid hopes for diplomatic solutions. However, following the Iranian missile attack on a US base in Jordan, President Trump vowed a strong retaliation, stating, "We're going to be hitting them very hard because it's our turn to hit them."

Iranian state media agency Irib identified the islands of Qeshm and Abadan, both significant to the oil industry, as areas impacted by the US strikes. Reports from Fars, citing the Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, indicated that a residential home in Qeshm was struck, killing a family of three.

Meanwhile, the Egyptian government reported a drone attack that caused a fire at a port, an incident that occurred without Egypt having been directly attacked previously in the conflict. This latest wave of hostilities underscores the volatile security situation in the region.

Saudi Arabia, through its defence minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, has reportedly conveyed a desire to de-escalate tensions to the US, according to Axios. The White House has been contacted for comment on these developments.