U.S. and Iran Exchange Most Intense Attacks in Weeks Amid Renewed Hostilities

Tankers and cargo vessels are seen in the Gulf of Oman, along shipping routes linking the Strait of Hormuz and the Arabian Sea, on June 16, 2026. —Associated Press The U.S. has carried out a fresh barrage of deadly strikes on Iran, marking the most intense attacks in weeks after a relative lull .

U.S.

Central Command said it carried out a wave of strikes on military targets in Iran on Tuesday following suspected Iranian attempts on ships in the Strait of Hormuz and U.S. military bases the day before.

Iran reported that several civilians, including a child, were killed and dozens more injured when shrapnel hit a home where a wedding celebration was taking place.

CENTCOM said in a statement to media outlets that the “U.S. military never targets civilians, unlike the IRGC.” In response, Tehran launched attacks at American military sites in Jordan, Kuwait, and Bahrain, and also claimed an attack on a U.S. facility in Iraq.

The U.S. did not report any casualties.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) vowed “severe punishment” for the U.S. attacks.

President Donald Trump warned that further strikes could be carried out.

“If the failed Nation of Iran retaliates for this very justified attack, they will be hit again at a much harder and higher level, but it will not be the biggest attack of them all, that is waiting in the wings and, when it is over, there will be very little left of the Islamic Republic of Iran!” The latest exchange of attacks represents a sharp escalation after a fragile weeks-long pause in fighting.

It comes after the U.S. and Iran resumed fire for the first time in a month over the weekend.

The Trump Administration had been pivoting to a strategy of economic pressure on Iran and its trading partners, seeking to force Iran back to the negotiating table .

But the latest attacks cast doubt on the prospect of talks, even as Iranian President Mahmoud Pezeshkian signaled Tuesday that Tehran was open to talks so long as that the U.S. returns to the cease-fire conditions in the June 17 memorandum of understanding (MOU).

Iran reports civilian deaths from U.S. strikes CENTCOM said it struck air defense sites, radar systems, maritime assets and facilities, mine laying capabilities, and communications sites.

Iran, however, reported that U.S. strikes killed civilians and damaged civil infrastructure.