ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Eight Iranian servicemen were killed in American strikes on southern Iran early Wednesday, Iranian state media reported, amid threats from US President Donald Trump of further attacks against Iran in the coming hours.
Washington’s “criminal attacks” resulted in the killing of “eight brave men from the [Iranian] air and naval forces” in the southern Iranian port cities of Bandar Abbas and Bushehr, the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) said, adding that they were “struck by enemy projectiles.”
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Wednesday that its forces "completed a new round of offensive strikes against Iran … hitting over 80 targets with precision munitions."
The Command added that the strikes were "an immediate response to Iran's attacks on commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz" - namely the Marshall Islands-flagged Motor Tanker (M/T) al-Rekayyat, Saudi Arabia-flagged M/T Wedyan, and Liberian-flagged M/T Cyprus Prosperity, all recorded in the preceding 24 hours.
For its part, the Iranian military said the US launched an "aerial assault on a number of coastal bases and civilian stations on the coasts of the [southern] Hormozgan province and [the city of] Mahshahr,” located in Iran’s southwestern Khuzestan province as well.
The IRGC added that its "naval and aerospace forces" responded to the escalation, launching "a joint missile and drone operation, crushing 85 important positions and US military facilities" in Bahrain and Kuwait, and downed an American "MQ9 drone that intended to interfere in the operation."
The escalation marked the second such flare-up in recent weeks, following a high-intensity exchange between the two sides across the region in late June, before backchannel diplomacy led to an emergency stand-down.
Signalling further escalation in the coming hours, US President Trump said Wednesday, "We hit them [Iran] very hard last night, very, very hard, and we’ll probably hit them hard again tonight.” He added that to him, the mid-June ceasefire agreement signed with Iran in Islamabad, was “over.”
He further lashed out stating, “I don't want to deal with them any more, they're scum… they are sick people … they are vicious, violent people.”
The sharp rhetoric drew reactions from Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi who remarked, “Addressing the civilized and courageous nation of Iran with derogatory language does not diminish its greatness.”
Tehran’s chief diplomat added that “Iranians are known for their civility, culture, and strong moral values. We do not answer vulgarity with vulgarity, but with action: fearlessly and with great valor,” he said.
