Iran began launching missiles and drones Tuesday after new U.S. strikes on Iranian targets, while the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned Washington “will regret its new attacks” and President Donald Trump threatened a far more destructive response if Tehran continued retaliating.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Iran launched a new wave of missiles and drones Tuesday in response to U.S. strikes on Iranian military and port targets, escalating a rapidly widening confrontation that sent warning sirens sounding in Jordan and pushed global oil prices sharply higher.
Iran’s semiofficial Fars and Tasnim news agencies, both considered close to the country’s security forces, reported late Tuesday that Iranian forces had begun firing missiles and drones following the American attacks.
Earlier in the day, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned that the United States “will regret its new attacks,” according to the state-linked Fars news agency.
President Donald Trump responded with his own warning that additional Iranian retaliation would bring a substantially heavier American response.
“If they do respond, they’ll be hit much harder,” Trump told Fox News correspondent Trey Yingst.
“This is a very big hit today. If it goes a third time, they’re going to be totally wiped out as a country.”
The exchange followed renewed U.S. strikes against IRGC and Iranian port targets after Trump authorized retaliatory military action and vowed to “hit back hard.”
The escalation came only hours after Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian publicly advocated returning to the ceasefire framework contained in a June memorandum of understanding.
Pezeshkian was in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on Tuesday for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, where he met Russian President Vladimir Putin and sought support as Iran faces mounting U.S. military and economic pressure.
Iranian Missiles Trigger Alerts in Jordan
Warning sirens sounded Tuesday in Jordan’s Mafraq and Aqaba governorates as Iranian missiles were launched toward U.S. interests and military installations in the region, according to Jordanian state television as cited by Reuters.
The latest alerts came two days after Jordanian air defenses intercepted eight Iranian ballistic missiles during an earlier attack Sunday, according to Jordanian officials.
Iranian authorities have warned that Tehran will respond militarily if Washington intensifies what Iranian officials have described as a siege against the country.
The renewed attacks followed American strikes against Iranian positions and came as U.S. sanctions and a blockade continue to restrict Tehran’s military and economic activity.
Iranian officials have also threatened global energy flows through and around the Strait of Hormuz.
Two oil tankers were reportedly struck near the strategic waterway earlier this week, further increasing fears that the conflict could disrupt international petroleum shipments.
Iran-backed forces have also been accused of attacking Saudi oil tankers near the strait while Pezeshkian simultaneously calls for restoration of the June ceasefire arrangement.
Oil Prices Jump About 4%
Energy markets reacted immediately to the renewed fighting.
Oil prices climbed approximately 4% Tuesday to their highest levels in about a week as traders assessed the possibility of further supply disruptions in the Middle East.
Brent crude futures rose $3.44, or 3.8%, to $93.93 per barrel as of 1:10 p.m. ET, according to Reuters.
U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude rose $3.72, or 4.3%, to $89.48 per barrel.
Brent was on pace for its highest closing level since Aug. 20, while WTI was headed toward its highest close since July 23.
The Strait of Hormuz remains at the center of those concerns because a major share of the world’s oil supply moves through the narrow waterway.
Any prolonged interruption to shipping could have consequences well beyond Iran, potentially affecting fuel costs, inflation and energy markets around the world.
Iran Says Airspace Remains Open
Despite the expanding military exchanges, Iran had not ordered a nationwide closure of its airspace as of Tuesday.
A spokesperson for Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization said the government had not issued a Notice to Air Missions, or NOTAM, directing that Iranian airspace be closed, according to Iran International, citing the semiofficial Mehr news agency.
The announcement came amid growing uncertainty over whether the conflict could broaden further and affect commercial aviation across the region.
Tehran Seeks Russian Support While Calling for Ceasefire
The military escalation unfolded alongside an intense diplomatic effort by Pezeshkian and other Iranian officials at the SCO summit.
Pezeshkian thanked Putin for Russia’s support during the war and in response to U.S. sanctions and urged Moscow and Tehran to stand together against American “unilateralism.”
Putin, meanwhile, expressed solidarity with Iran even as the Trump administration expanded attacks against Iranian targets.
Iran has simultaneously urged Washington to return to the June memorandum of understanding, an arrangement intended to establish a ceasefire framework.
That diplomatic message has been accompanied by continued Iranian military threats and attacks against regional targets, creating a widening gap between Tehran’s calls for negotiations and events on the battlefield.
Iran’s economy is also facing increasingly severe pressure.
U.S. sanctions have intensified while the Iranian rial has fallen to a record low, adding financial strain to the effects of the ongoing military conflict.
The Trump administration has maintained a blockade and expanded sanctions intended to restrict Tehran’s access to funds and constrain both its military operations and broader economy.
Iranian Foreign Minister Calls for ‘Multipolar’ World
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who accompanied Pezeshkian to the SCO summit, used the gathering to argue for greater international opposition to U.S. power.
Araghchi said he held discussions with Eurasian, Chinese and South Asian officials and defended Iran’s “sovereignty” while calling for unity in what he characterized as the “decline of an ailing Empire.”
“More than ever, the future is multipolar and multilateral,” Araghchi wrote on X.
The summit brought together leaders and senior officials from China, Russia, India, Iran and several other countries to discuss trade, security and political cooperation.
Tehran has increasingly looked to organizations such as the SCO to deepen economic and diplomatic relationships outside U.S.-led institutions as Washington increases pressure on the country.
U.N. Meeting Omits Protester Crackdown From Readout
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres also met Pezeshkian Tuesday on the sidelines of the SCO summit.
According to the U.N.’s account, Guterres discussed the humanitarian and economic consequences of the conflict involving Iran and emphasized diplomacy and adherence to international law.
The official readout did not mention Iran’s treatment of people detained following nationwide protests in January.
Those detainees continue to face prison sentences, allegations of torture, death sentences and executions.
The omission came as Iran’s government sought diplomatic support abroad while facing continuing scrutiny over its treatment of political opponents and protesters at home.
Tuesday’s developments left the region facing simultaneous military, diplomatic and economic escalation: U.S. forces struck Iranian targets, Tehran answered with missiles and drones, Jordan activated warning sirens, oil prices surged and both governments warned that another round of retaliation could bring even more destructive attacks.
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