A new and dangerous escalation is unfolding in the Middle East, following the U.S. strikes on the Iranian island of Larak and Tehran’s immediate response. The Revolutionary Guards announced that they had attacked U.S. military facilities in Jordan with ballistic missiles and drones, in retaliation for the bombing of two Iranian launchers, which, according to Iran, resulted in deaths and injuries.
On Sunday, the U.S. military carried out its first airstrikes in Iran in about a month, striking Larak Island, near the Strait of Hormuz.
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The Houthis attacked airports in Saudi Arabia
CENTCOM, the U.S. military command responsible for the Middle East, announced that the operation targeted two Iranian launchers.
“Earlier (…) U.S. forces struck two Iranian launchers on Larq Island,” said CENTCOM spokesperson Captain Tim Hawkins.
According to the U.S. side, members of the Revolutionary Guards had been spotted preparing to launch missiles loaded with sea mines toward the Strait of Hormuz.
The Revolutionary Guards announced that the U.S. strikes caused “deaths and injuries,” without disclosing a specific number of casualties, and warned of retaliation.
Iranian Retaliation Against U.S. Facilities in Jordan
Shortly thereafter, the Revolutionary Guards announced that they had carried out their retaliation by launching attacks against U.S. military facilities in Jordan.
According to their statement, the operation was carried out using ballistic missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles and constituted a direct retaliation for the U.S. strikes in Larak.
The Iranian attacks targeted technical facilities and maintenance infrastructure, as well as aircraft stationed at two bases in Jordan.
The Revolutionary Guards also warned that “any new hostile action” would provoke “even stronger retaliation.”
The Jordanian armed forces announced that they intercepted and shot down eight missiles, without specifying where they were launched from, after they entered the country’s airspace, shortly after a statement by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards claiming they had targeted U.S. military facilities in the Hashemite Kingdom with missiles and drones.
In their statement, the Jordanian armed forces confirmed that they “successfully destroyed” the missiles, after Tehran announced that it had carried out retaliatory strikes against two bases where U.S. military personnel are stationed or deployed, in retaliation for U.S. airstrikes on Larak Island.
New escalation despite previous de-escalation
The new exchange of fire comes at a time when hostilities in the region had subsided, although sporadic incidents continued to be reported, mainly in the Strait of Hormuz and the surrounding area.
This strategically important maritime passage, through which, prior to the war, approximately one-fifth of the world’s consumed hydrocarbons passed, remains effectively closed by a decision of Tehran.
Iran has periodically targeted commercial ships attempting to cross the Strait without its permission, while the United States has responded by imposing a blockade on Iranian ports in the Gulf.
CENTCOM: Mine-clearing operation completed
Captain Tim Hawkins also reported that last week, CENTCOM completed a mine-clearing operation in the international shipping lanes of the Strait of Hormuz.
“U.S. forces are closely monitoring the area and remain ready to protect the free flow of commerce in this vital maritime corridor,” he added.
From the Start of the War to the Ceasefire
The war in the Middle East broke out on February 28, when the United States and Israel jointly launched airstrikes against Iran.
Tehran responded by targeting Washington’s allies in the Gulf.
A ceasefire agreed upon in April put an end to 40 days of intense exchanges of bombings and attacks involving ballistic missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles.
In mid-June, the so-called “Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding” was signed, which theoretically paved the way for an end to the armed conflict.
The agreement, however, collapsed in July, hostilities resumed, and the diplomatic process has since reached an impasse.
Washington Increases Economic Pressure
Alongside military operations, the U.S. government has signaled that it intends to further intensify economic pressure on Iran, which has been facing U.S. and international sanctions for decades.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent unveiled last Monday a new series of so-called “secondary” sanctions, which are not directed against Tehran itself but rather against its trading partners.
The measures concern, among other things, maritime transport, aviation, digital resources, technology, and gold.
Washington also announced new sanctions against 60 individuals, companies, and ships, which it accuses of helping Iran secure oil revenues, procure weapons, and conduct cyberwarfare operations.
China Is Also in the Crosshairs
Among the countries at the center of U.S. pressure is China, the world’s second-largest economy and a key economic partner of Tehran.
Beijing has responded to U.S. moves by emphasizing that it will “vigorously” defend Chinese interests and its cooperation with Iran.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeskian has acknowledged that his country faces “many economic difficulties,” yet the Islamic Republic insists that Washington will achieve “nothing” through economic pressure.
Tehran also rules out a return to the previous status quo in the Strait of Hormuz.
This situation is considered unacceptable by the United States and its allies in the region, who are demanding the full reopening of the waterway.
U.S. President Donald Trump has even stated recently that the Strait of Hormuz will become “U.S. territory.”
Source: Proto Thema
