U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) conducted a "heavy wave" of airstrikes against dozens of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targets in Iran on Thursday, from 0000 UTC to 0200 UTC, a "powerful response" to an attempted Iranian ballistic missile attack on U.S. forces in Jordan the previous evening, CENTCOM said in posts on X.
According to CENTCOM, the strikes targeted military command centers, missile and drone facilities, coastal surveillance sites, and maritime capabilities to degrade threats against American forces and commercial shipping.
In response to CENTCOM strikes on Iranian targets, the IRGC launched retaliatory attacks against U.S. facilities in Jordan, Kuwait, and Bahrain. The IRGC claimed its aerospace forces targeted the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Azraq, Jordan, using ballistic missiles to strike what it described as the U.S. Central Command headquarters and facilities housing F-35 fighter jets.
The IRGC statement asserted that its forces "completely destroyed three F-35 aircraft" and caused "heavy damage" to three others at the base, while also claiming the killing of enemy officers and maintenance personnel. Tehran said the attack is a necessary response to U.S. bombardment of Qeshm Island, which Iranian officials reported killed a family, declaring that the war would continue until "the last American occupier is expelled."
Jordanian and U.S. contradicted Iran's claims, with the Jordanian military claiming that its air defenses successfully intercepted and destroyed all five incoming ballistic missiles with no casualties or material damage reported. CENTCOM claimed that the missiles were successfully intercepted and that U.S. forces remained at a high state of readiness.
President Donald Trump authorized today's offensive after previously halting strikes to allow for potential negotiations, telling reporters at the White House Wednesday, that it was the U.S. military's "turn" to hit Iran "very hard."
The escalation followed a collapsed diplomatic four-day pause in hostilities, during which the IRGC launched multiple ballistic missiles at a U.S. base in Jordan in what CENTCOM termed an "attempted surprise attack." The attack was widely interpreted by analysts as an attempt by Tehran to demonstrate military initiative and pressure the Trump administration during ongoing mediation efforts. CENTCOM claimed all incoming missiles were successfully intercepted by U.S. and Jordanian air defenses.
U.S. and Saudi fighter aircraft conducted joint strikes Tuesday, against Iran-backed militia logistics and weapons sites across seven provinces in Iraq, killing at least 20 fighters from the Popular Mobilization Forces.
