TEHRAN (Realist English). Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched missile and drone strikes on US military facilities in the region, ignoring President Donald Trump’s warning that any retaliation would be met with a “much harder and higher‑level” strike.
Iran’s retaliatory strikes, carried out on Tuesday evening, were a response to a new wave of US airstrikes on IRGC targets in southern Iranian provinces, which, according to Tehran, resulted in numerous civilian casualties.
Wedding Strike and Civilian Casualties
The immediate trigger for Iran’s retaliation, according to Tehran, was a US airstrike on a residential building in Hormozgan province in southern Iran, where a wedding ceremony was taking place. According to Iranian authorities, at least five people, including a four‑year‑old child and a woman, were killed, and more than 50 were wounded. Iranian officials called the incident a “crime” and an act of “desperation” by the United States.
US Central Command (CENTCOM), for its part, said the strikes were carried out against IRGC targets and were in response to “recent IRGC attack attempts against commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and against US military personnel stationed in the region.” The Pentagon has not confirmed the information about the wedding ceremony strike.
Retaliatory Strike: Missiles on Jordan, Bahrain and Kuwait
Iran responded immediately. The IRGC launched ballistic missile and drone strikes on US facilities in the region:
| Object / Region | Details |
| Camp Titing (Jordan) | US Marine Corps base in Aqaba, struck by ballistic missiles |
| Sheikh Isa Air Base (Bahrain) | Struck by ballistic missiles and drones |
| Kuwait | Iranian drones struck targets in the country |
Jordanian military officials said air defence systems intercepted and destroyed 10 of 13 ballistic missiles launched from Iranian territory; the remaining three fell in uninhabited areas, with no casualties. The Kuwaiti army also reported air defence systems responding to Iranian attacks. According to Iranian media, several explosions were heard in Bahrain.
In addition, the IRGC claimed to have shot down a US MQ‑9 Reaper reconnaissance drone.
“Unforgettable Lessons”: Tehran and Washington React
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei issued a strong statement, promising the US “unforgettable lessons.” “The dear people of Iran and the resistance front have prepared unforgettable lessons for the American enemy,” Khamenei said. The IRGC, for its part, promised to deliver “crushing and devastating” strikes on the US.
President Trump, announcing the start of new strikes on Iran, warned Tehran of the consequences of any response. “If the failed nation of Iran responds to this completely justified attack, they will be struck again, but much harder and at a higher level,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “But this will not be the biggest attack of all — that one is waiting for its time, and when it is over, little will remain of the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, in turn, expressed readiness to return to the June ceasefire agreement if Washington was willing to comply with its terms. However, Trump, according to media reports, has made it clear that he sees no point in returning to that agreement, stating that “it is not worth the paper it is written on.”
Conflict Enters a New Phase
The exchange of strikes on September 1–2 marked the first direct military confrontation between the US and Iran in a month. The previous exchange occurred on the night of August 31, when the US struck Iranian missile launchers on Larak Island, and Tehran responded with missile strikes on US bases in Jordan and the UAE.
The new escalation comes as Washington has announced a shift toward economic strangulation of Iran. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said at the G20 meeting that the “Big Twenty” countries support the American initiative for an economic blockade of Tehran. However, the resumption of military action casts doubt on the effectiveness of this approach.
Escalation Without an Exit
Iran’s retaliatory strikes, carried out in defiance of Trump’s direct warnings, demonstrate that Tehran is unwilling to back down even in the face of threats of total destruction. Khamenei’s rhetoric of “unforgettable lessons” and the IRGC’s promises of “crushing and devastating” strikes suggest that Iran is prepared for further escalation.
Yet open questions remain. Can Washington turn the situation around with military force, or will the new round of conflict only demonstrate the limits of American capabilities in the region? Can economic pressure, including the naval blockade and sanctions, force Tehran to make concessions, or will it only harden the resolve of Iran’s leadership? And most importantly — will this cycle of mutual strikes lead to full‑scale war, which neither side appears to want, but both are approaching with each new strike?
For now, oil markets are in turmoil, the Strait of Hormuz remains a theatre of confrontation, and the answers to these questions remain as uncertain as the trajectory of the conflict itself.
