Sunday's strike marked the first known direct US attack on Iranian military targets since late July, when Trump paused a renewed American military campaign against Tehran.

US strikes Iran for second time in two days as Strait of Hormuz crisis deepens

The strikes came two days after US forces hit Iranian rocket launchers in the Strait of Hormuz, ending a month-long lull in fighting. Iran called Sunday's operation a deadly attack and retaliated by firing ballistic missiles at US bases in Jordan.

by · India Today

In Short

  • Strikes follows alleged IRGC attacks on vessels and US troops
  • Strait of Hormuz remains key flashpoint in confrontation
  • Jordan intercepts eight Iranian missiles entering its airspace

US forces struck Iran for the second time in two days on Tuesday, targeting Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps sites after Washington accused the group of attempting attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and American troops deployed in the region.

Details about the targets, scale of the operation and possible casualties were not immediately available.

The strikes came two days after US forces hit Iranian rocket launchers in the Strait of Hormuz, ending a month-long lull in fighting. Iran called Sunday’s operation a deadly attack and retaliated by firing ballistic missiles at US bases in Jordan.

Jordan said it intercepted eight missiles that entered its airspace early on Monday.

US Central Command said IRGC forces had been preparing to launch rockets carrying sea mines into the strait. Iran acknowledged casualties in the American strikes and warned that Washington would face military and economic consequences.

The renewed fighting comes after the Trump administration signalled that it would focus on economic pressure rather than further military action against Tehran. President Donald Trump had held off on new strikes after the US attacked dozens of IRGC targets on July 29.

The Strait of Hormuz remains central to the confrontation. Iran retains the ability to target vessels in the waterway, through which about 20 per cent of the world’s oil normally passes.

Commercial traffic remains far below pre-war levels despite Trump’s claim that the strait is open. The latest exchange has pushed the conflict back into open military confrontation after weeks of relative calm.

- Ends