Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it had launched ballistic missiles at two US military bases in Jordan, describing the strikes as causing “heavy damage”. Jordan’s military said it had intercepted eight missiles but did not identify their source.
The strikes followed a US announcement on Sunday that American forces had attacked Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz.
Washington said the operation was intended to prevent Iran from deploying additional sea mines in the strategic waterway, days after the US announced that it had completed an operation to clear explosives from the strait.
“US forces took limited, precise action against IRGC mine-laying forces posing an imminent threat in the Strait of Hormuz,” US Central Command (Centcom) said in a post on X.
The IRGC said the US strikes had caused casualties and described its subsequent attack on Jordan as a response to what it called “US-Zionist aerial aggression”.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry also said the country’s armed forces had targeted US military bases in Jordan in response to the US attack on Larak Island.
The ministry claimed the bases had been used to launch and support the US operation against Larak. It described the Iranian strikes as an act of “legitimate defence” and condemned what it called American military aggression.
The ministry warned that Iran would respond to any further military action and said the United States and countries supporting its operations would bear responsibility for any escalation.
Separately, the IRGC claimed it had targeted the Al Minhad Air Base in the United Arab Emirates with drones. Iranian state television reported that the attack was prompted by the US strike on Larak Island and targeted areas where US forces and helicopters were stationed.
The UAE rejected the claim, saying it had intercepted an Iranian drone over its territorial waters.
“Media reports regarding a missile attack on Al Minhad Air Base are baseless,” the Emirati defence ministry said in a statement posted on X.
The latest exchange of fire occurred as the US-Iran conflict approached its six-month mark, following several weeks of reduced hostilities.
In recent weeks, US President Donald Trump’s administration has increasingly focused on economic measures against Iran rather than direct military action.
Iran has effectively restricted traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route through which around one-fifth of global oil supplies passed before the United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran on February 28.
The renewed military confrontation comes as Washington has intensified sanctions against Tehran and companies and financial institutions accused of supporting Iran.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Sunday that Washington was likely to announce new secondary sanctions on a weekly basis, initially targeting banks.
“We’re starting with the banks, and we’re telling the banks it’s not okay to have Iranian money and to aid the regime,” Bessent told Reuters.
Following sanctions imposed on UAE branches of Egypt’s Banque Misr over alleged financial links to Iran, Bessent said Washington could consider cutting institutions off entirely from the US dollar-based financial system.
“You’re going to see a lot more of these every week,” he told Reuters ahead of a meeting of Group of 20 finance leaders.
Diplomatic initiatives led by mediators including Pakistan and Qatar have continued in an effort to end the conflict.
A ceasefire reached in April brought an end to the most intense fighting, while a memorandum of understanding aimed at paving the way for a final peace agreement was signed in June. However, no comprehensive peace deal has been reached, and Washington has since expanded its economic pressure on Tehran.
A US naval counterblockade of Iranian ports has also affected fuel supplies in Iran amid a shortfall in domestic production.
Although the April ceasefire reduced the intensity of the conflict, sporadic attacks, particularly around the Strait of Hormuz, have continued to undermine prospects for a lasting settlement.
The previous US strike on Iran took place on July 29, which Washington said was carried out in response to an attempted attack on US forces in the region. Earlier in July, Centcom conducted attacks against Iran for 13 consecutive nights.
During the conflict, Iran has carried out retaliatory strikes against US facilities and allied targets across the Gulf, including locations in Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Iran’s restrictions on the Strait of Hormuz have also contributed to higher global prices and shortages of energy and fertiliser supplies.
Oil prices rose following news of the latest US strikes, with North Sea Brent crude climbing above $90 a barrel and West Texas Intermediate rising above $85.
The conflict remains unpopular among many Americans, with congressional midterm elections scheduled for November that could potentially alter Republican control of Congress.
US Senator Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, criticised the Trump administration’s handling of the conflict in a statement on Friday.
“Six months later, not a single objective has been achieved,” Reed said, arguing that the war had weakened the US position in the Middle East and internationally.
