US launches ‘heavy wave’ of new strikes on Iran

The United States launched a “heavy wave” of strikes against Iran on Wednesday, following a five-night pause and Iranian missile attacks on US forces in Jordan. CENTCOM reported successfully hitting dozens of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targets, including “military command centers, missile and drone facilities, coastal surveillance and defense sites, and maritime capabilities.” Iranian media reported at least three civilians, including a couple and their two-year-old child, were killed on Qeshm island, with bombings also reported in Ahvaz, Abadan, Bushehr, Kazerun, and Farashband. These strikes were concentrated in Iran’s southern provinces. Iran responded by targeting a US airbase in Jordan and a Chinese company building in Kuwait, causing one fatality. The US Treasury Department also announced new sanctions on two Iranian firms for their role in an IRGC-backed scheme forcing commercial vessels to buy insurance to transit the Strait of Hormuz.