Iran targets US base in Jordan after Trump orders strikes

Updated / Wednesday, An aerial view of America's Al-Azraq base in Jordan which Iranian forces said they hit Iran's Revolutionary Guards have said they had carried out attacks against a US base in Jordan and 21 other targets in the Gulf in retaliation for American strikes around the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian media reported. The clashes mark one of the ⁠biggest exchanges in hostilities since the two countries agreed to a ceasefire in April. The Iranian strikes, which included attacks in Kuwait and Bahrain, came after the US military said on X it had targeted Iranian air defence, ground control stations and surveillance radar sites near the strait in response to what US President Donald Trump said was the downing of a US Apache helicopter yesterday. "I believe the response should be very strong, very powerful, and that's what this one is," Mr Trump told ABC News. The US launched retaliatory strikes after Donald Trump said Tehran had shot down a US Apache helicopter The escalation in violence deepens doubts about the prospects for a deal to end the war that started on 28 February with joint US-Israeli strikes against Iran. Tehran responded , a vital conduit for oil and gas. The latest US strikes lasted around four hours. A US official said almost 20 Iranian targets had been struck. Iran's state media reported that Qeshm island and the port city of Sirik in the Strait of Hormuz were attacked. Sounds of explosions were heard in nearby Bandar Abbas, and later in the vicinity of Jask, near the entrance to the strait, Iranian media reported, citing local sources and residents. Iran's Revolutionary Guards said in response ‌they had targeted four sites at the US al-Azraq base in Jordan using long-range ⁠missiles, Iranian media reported. The Guards said the targets included F-35 fighter jet hangars and a command-and-control centre, and warned they were ready to deliver a "crushing and decisive" response to any further US attack. Jordanian armed forces said they had intercepted and shot down five missiles launched from Iran toward al-Azraq. The military added that debris from the interception operation fell on Jordanian territory but caused no injuries or material damage. Donald Trump had played down the attack on the helicopter on Monday night The Kuwaiti army said its air defence systems were engaging hostile aerial targets and urged the public to follow official safety instructions, after Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they had targeted the Ali Al Salem base in Kuwait with drones.