Iran has launched retaliatory strikes on US bases across the Middle East after Donald Trump threatened to hit the country “much harder”.
The country attacked a US base on Erbil in Iraq’s autonomous region of Kurdistan and a Marine base in Jordan’s Aqaba in retaliation for an attack in southern Iran, according to the country’s state-run media.
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The Iranian Red Crescent, a non-governmental humanitarian organisation in the country, said shrapnel from the strike killed four people, including a child, at a wedding celebration in Kuhestak, Sirik.
At least 35 were injured in the strikes.
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US Central Command (Centcom) had earlier confirmed it concluded a wave of strikes on Iranian military targets after the IRGC attempted to strike commercial shipping vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and against American service members.
Spokesman for Centcom, Capt. Tim Hawkins, responding to the reports, said the US was aware of reports from Iranian state media concerning the strikes
“The US military never targets civilians, unlike the IRGC,” he added.
Jordanian Armed Forces said it had intercepted 13 ballistic missiles, 10 of which were destroyed, while three landed in remote areas.
Separately, Bahrain’s said its air defence systems had intercepted and destroyed Iranian drones over its territory.
The Kingdom, through its Ministry of Interior on social media, issued three “potential threat” warnings in five hours.
Among the 100 military targets the US struck were two Iranian tankers.
US military sources said the move was part of a new “tanker for tanker” policy approved by Mr Trump, first reported by Axios.
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And the President had earlier said on Tuesday that, if Iran retaliated at all, he would hit the country “at a much harder and higher level”.
Mr Trump also said an even larger attack was “waiting in the wings”.
When the larger attack happens “there will be very little left” of the country, he added.
Early on Wednesday morning, the Navy carrier USS Abraham Lincoln arrived in Thailand’s Laem Chabang after more than 200 days at sea in the Middle East.
The carrier, roughly 5,000 sailors and Marines aboard, had been plagued with reports of deteriorating mental health and attempted suicides.
Accompanied by other US military vessels, the carrier will be stationed for five days in Thailand for five days to allow for rest and recuperation.
The re-emergence of regular strikes between Washington and Tehran follows the expiration of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).
The White House had previously announced it would hit Iran with an “economic D-Day” amid a deterioration of talks between the sides.
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