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Iran has vowed to deliver a “decisive response” after the United States carried out its first strikes on Iranian territory in a month.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said on Monday that it had retaliated against the US strikes by firing ballistic missiles at two American military bases in Jordan, claiming the attacks caused “heavy damage”.
Jordan’s military, however, said it had intercepted eight missiles but did not specify where they originated.
The Revolutionary Guards also said they had shot down a US drone over the Strait of Hormuz, a critical international shipping route.
The latest exchange of fire followed US strikes on Sunday targeting Iranian rocket launchers on a small island in the strategic waterway.
The United States said the operation was intended to prevent Iran from deploying additional sea mines in the Strait of Hormuz, days after American forces announced that they had completed the removal of explosives from international shipping routes.
“US forces took limited, precise action against IRGC minelaying forces posing an imminent threat in the Strait of Hormuz,” the US Central Command said on X.
The Revolutionary Guards said the American strikes caused “casualties” and described their missile attack on Jordan as a response to what they called “US-Zionist aerial aggression”.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, speaking before travelling to Kyrgyzstan for a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, said Tehran was not seeking a wider conflict but would retaliate against attacks on the country.
“We are not seeking war, but we will deliver a decisive response to the aggressors,” Pezeshkian said in a statement quoted by Iranian state television.
The latest confrontation occurred shortly after the war reached its six-month mark and as direct hostilities had appeared to be easing.
In recent weeks, US President Donald Trump’s administration has increasingly focused on what it describes as “economic warfare” against Tehran rather than sustained military operations.
Iran has effectively restricted access to the Strait of Hormuz, through which about one-fifth of global oil supplies passed before the conflict escalated following US and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28.
US Central Command spokesman Navy Captain Tim Hawkins said American forces had recently completed clearing sea mines from the international shipping routes in the strait.
“Last week, CENTCOM completed clearing sea mines from the strait’s international shipping routes,” Hawkins said.
“US forces are monitoring the area closely and remain prepared to protect the free flow of commerce through this essential waterway.”
Diplomatic efforts
Diplomatic efforts to end the conflict have continued for months, with countries including Pakistan and Qatar attempting to mediate between Washington and Tehran.
A ceasefire was reached in April, while a memorandum of understanding towards a final peace agreement was signed in June. However, the negotiations have yet to produce a lasting settlement.
The April ceasefire brought an end to the most intense phase of the conflict, but sporadic attacks, particularly around the Strait of Hormuz, have continued to undermine hopes of a permanent peace deal.
The latest US strike followed an earlier attack on July 29, which the American military said was carried out in response to an attempted surprise attack on US forces in the region.
Earlier in July, US Central Command also conducted military operations against Iran for 13 consecutive nights.
Iran has retaliated throughout the conflict by targeting US military facilities and American allies across the Gulf region, including locations in Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
The disruption of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has also affected the global economy, contributing to higher prices and shortages of energy and fertiliser.
Both major crude oil benchmarks rose by at least two per cent on Monday following the latest escalation.
War faces opposition in US
The conflict has become increasingly unpopular among sections of the American public, with the November midterm elections approaching and the possibility that Republicans could lose control of Congress.
US Senator Jack Reed, the senior Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, criticised Trump’s handling of the conflict in a statement issued on Friday.
“Six months later, not a single objective has been achieved,” Reed said.
“Indeed, he has weakened our position in the Middle East and the world significantly.”
The latest exchange of attacks has further complicated diplomatic efforts to end the war, raising concerns that renewed military confrontation could threaten regional stability and further disrupt global energy supplies.
