Trump orders US strikes on Iran after intercepted Iranian missile attack

The United States has launched military strikes against Iran after President Donald Trump vowed a forceful response to what US officials described as an attempted Iranian attack on American forces in the Middle East.

According to CNN, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the operation began at 8:00 PM ET on Wednesday.

In a post on X, CENTCOM said: "US forces began launching strikes against Iran at 8 p.m. ET today. The strikes are a powerful response to yesterday’s attempted Iranian attacks on US forces based in the Middle East."

A US official told CNN the strikes targeted Iranian military sites.

Earlier on Wednesday, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office: "We’re going to be hitting them very hard because it’s our turn to hit them. They know it’s coming."

According to CNN, the strikes followed an attack on Tuesday night in which Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched multiple ballistic missiles towards US forces in the region.

Jordan's military said it intercepted five of the missiles before they reached their targets.