US and Iran exchange attacks as lull in war appears over

The United States (US) 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 US military’s Central Command said it completed a wave of strikes against Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targets on Tuesday , including air defence 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 authorisation.

Iran in turn said it struck US 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 US forces in Jordan, ⁠two US officials told Reuters there had not been any casualties, according to initial assessments.

Jordan’s armed forces said its air defence 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 US bases in Erbil in northern Iraq, killing several US personnel.

Neither Iraq nor the US had confirmed the attack.

The exchange of fire marked the first serious combat since July, ending a period in which the warring parties withheld fire but also showed little interest in returning to negotiations.

The lull came as the conflict appeared to be draining both sides.

Iran’s already ailing economy has been battered ​by war, and its conventional military forces have been degraded.

Meanwhile, with US President Donald Trump confronting higher fuel prices ahead of November congressional elections, the US Army has used up ​much of its global stockpile of highly accurate long-range missiles, Reuters reported last month, raising concerns about the military’s readiness for future conflicts.

Nonetheless, the renewal of hostilities produced another exchange of defiant statements.