The United States carried out a heavy wave of strikes against Iran late Wednesday after President Donald Trump threatened forceful retaliation for an attempted Iranian ballistic-missile attack on American troops in Jordan. U.S. Central Command said the two-hour operation hit dozens of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targets, including military command centers, missile and drone facilities, coastal defenses and maritime capabilities.

CENTCOM said the operation was completed at 10 p.m. Eastern time on July 29 and was intended to reduce threats posed by Iran and its allied forces to U.S. personnel, neighboring Gulf countries and commercial shipping. Reuters reported that the strikes began at approximately 8 p.m., making the operation a concentrated response rather than a prolonged overnight bombing campaign.

The retaliation followed Iran’s launch of multiple ballistic missiles on July 28 toward forces stationed at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, a major hub for American military operations in the region. Jordan’s military said five Iranian missiles were intercepted and destroyed. CENTCOM said all missiles involved in the attempted attack were successfully intercepted and did not report any successful strikes on U.S. positions.

Trump previewed the American response during remarks in the Oval Office, telling reporters that the United States would hit Iran “very hard” because it was Washington’s turn to respond. He later used more aggressive language while discussing Iran in a television interview, reinforcing expectations that military action was imminent. The administration characterized the Iranian launch as a surprise attack requiring a direct and visible response.

Iranian state media reported that two people were injured in strikes on Qeshm Island, near the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, and said explosions were heard in Khuzestan province in western Iran. Those reports could not immediately be independently verified, and U.S. officials did not release a detailed assessment of casualties or damage. CENTCOM said its targets belonged to the Revolutionary Guard and were connected to Iran’s missile, drone, surveillance and naval operations.

The strikes were the first inside Iran since Trump paused the bombing campaign the previous Friday to give diplomatic efforts another opportunity. Before the pause, American forces had conducted strikes for 13 consecutive nights. The return to military action demonstrated how quickly the diplomatic opening could collapse when either side targeted military forces or strategic infrastructure.

The latest escalation comes as intermediaries continue trying to revive negotiations between Washington and Tehran. Those discussions have focused partly on restoring safe commercial passage through the Strait of Hormuz, where Iranian actions have disrupted shipping and intensified pressure on global energy markets. The waterway carries a significant share of the world’s traded oil and natural gas, making even limited hostilities capable of affecting fuel costs, transportation networks and inflation in the United States.

Oil prices rose sharply after the Iranian missile attack and the initial reports of U.S. retaliation, although markets later gave back some of those gains. The price movement reflected uncertainty about whether the exchange would remain limited or trigger a broader campaign against Iranian military, energy or maritime assets. Additional attacks on shipping routes or Gulf oil infrastructure could produce a more sustained market reaction.

The confrontation is already spreading beyond the direct U.S.-Iran exchange. American and Saudi forces separately struck Iran-backed militia sites in Iraq after Saudi Arabia accused armed groups there of launching drones at its oil facilities. Iraqi officials objected to those attacks, while militia sources reported significant casualties. The overlapping episodes have raised the risk that the conflict could draw in additional governments and armed groups across Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and the Persian Gulf.

For Washington, force protection remains an immediate concern. CENTCOM said more than 50,000 U.S. service members are deployed across the Middle East. American bases, diplomatic compounds and naval forces are positioned within range of Iranian missiles, drones and allied militias, requiring extensive air-defense coverage. Each new exchange also renews concerns about the rate at which the United States is using sophisticated interceptors and precision weapons that may be needed for other global contingencies.

The White House has presented the strikes as necessary retaliation rather than the start of a new full-scale offensive. The Wall Street Journal reported that the operation was larger than several recent attacks but did not represent a return to the most intensive phase of combat, citing a U.S. official. That distinction could prove temporary, however, if Iran responds by again targeting American personnel, allied governments or commercial vessels.

The renewed fighting is also sharpening the domestic debate over who has authority to continue the war. On Thursday, the Senate voted 49-50 against advancing a war-powers measure that would have directed Trump to withdraw U.S. forces from hostilities against Iran unless Congress provided authorization. Three Republican senators supported the effort, while Democratic Sen. John Fetterman joined most Republicans in opposing it.

The failed measure leaves Congress without an effective mechanism to stop the immediate campaign, even as lawmakers from both parties question its cost, duration and strategic objective. Supporters of the administration argue that the president must retain the ability to defend American troops and respond quickly to Iranian attacks. Critics maintain that months of sustained hostilities have exceeded the limited defensive actions presidents have traditionally ordered without explicit congressional approval.

The central question now is whether both governments treat the exchange as complete retaliation or the opening of another cycle. Trump’s warning and the scale of the U.S. strikes were intended to demonstrate that attacks on American forces would carry substantial consequences. Iran, however, has repeatedly used missiles, drones and regional partners to challenge U.S. pressure while avoiding concessions on its broader security demands.

Further Iranian attacks would likely invite additional American strikes and could eliminate the remaining prospects for near-term negotiations. Restraint could reopen a diplomatic channel, but the latest barrage has deepened mistrust and shown that the military pause was fragile. With tens of thousands of American personnel exposed across the region and critical shipping routes under threat, even a single miscalculation could push the confrontation into a more expansive and costly phase.