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ensions between Iran and the United States flared again this weekend, marking the first major exchange of fire between the two countries since late July. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced it had launched a combined missile and drone operation targeting two American-linked bases in Jordan, the King Hussein base and Al Azraq base, in direct response to a US strike on Iran’s Larak Island earlier the same day.
The IRGC described the operation as a punitive strike against American aggression and claimed it had caused significant damage to repair facilities and fighter jet deployment sites at the targeted bases. Jordanian authorities confirmed their air defenses intercepted eight incoming missiles early Monday morning, and officials from both sides reported no casualties.
The situation escalated further on Monday when Iranian forces said they downed a US MQ-9 Reaper drone over the Strait of Hormuz, with the aircraft reportedly falling into the Gulf after being intercepted.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian addressed the strikes publicly for the first time as he departed for Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit. He characterized Iran’s posture as defensive rather than aggressive, signaling Tehran would not initiate a wider war but would respond to attacks against it.
US Central Command rejected characterizations of Sunday’s strike as unprovoked aggression, describing its action as a limited and targeted effort meant to stop Iranian forces from planting mines in the Strait of Hormuz. American officials placed responsibility for the resulting exchange on Iran. Iranian state media, meanwhile, reported casualties among its forces from what it called the joint American-Israeli assault, though no specific numbers were disclosed.
Separately, President Donald Trump posted an AI-generated video to his Truth Social account appearing to show an attack on Kharg Island, a key Iranian oil export hub, captioned to suggest the island had been destroyed. No independent evidence supported the claim that Kharg Island had actually been struck. Trump has previously floated seizing or destroying the island since the conflict with Iran began.
The clash comes as the US shifts its approach from direct military strikes toward economic and financial pressure on Tehran, even as the wider US-Israel war against Iran enters its seventh month. Washington has recently asserted that it is safeguarding oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz despite Iran’s claimed blockade, though attacks on vessels in the waterway have continued to be reported on a near-daily basis. Sunday’s strikes underscore that military force remains part of the US strategy toward Iran, even as sanctions pressure over its nuclear program and control of the strait intensifies.
(Source: Aljazeera English)
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