US and Iran exchange attacks as lull in war appears over

The U.S. and Iran found themselves back in a war footing on Wednesday after the most significant exchange in weeks, with Washington threatening even more devastating strikes while Iran protested an attack that it said killed five and wounded dozens of civilians at a wedding.



The U.S. military's Central Command said it completed a wave of strikes against Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targets on Tuesday including air defense sites, radar systems, maritime assets and facilities, mine-laying capabilities, and communications sites.



Iranian media reported attacks on multiple targets around the country on Tuesday, many near the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran has been threatening oil tankers that dare transit the narrow waterway without authorization.



Iran in turn said it struck U.S. assets in Jordan and Iraq, according to official statements, while Iranian media reports said it also attacked Bahrain. Although the IRGC said it killed a large number of U.S. forces in Jordan, two U.S. officials told Reuters there had not been any casualties, according to initial assessments.



Jordan's armed forces said its air defense systems dealt with 13 ballistic missiles that entered the kingdom's airspace, 10 of which were intercepted and three fell in remote areas. Bahrain said Iranian drones were intercepted and destroyed.



The IRGC also said its ground forces carried out combined missile and drone attacks on U.S. bases in Erbil in northern Iraq, killing several U.S. personnel. Neither Iraq nor the U.S. had confirmed the attack.