The United States military launched heavy airstrikes against targets in Iran on Wednesday, responding to an Iranian missile barrage aimed at American installations in Jordan.
The renewed military action follows joint US-Saudi strikes targeting Tehran-backed militias in Iraq, which killed at least 20 fighters and six Iranian advisers.
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Hostilities also spread across the region, with suspected drone attacks igniting fires on two natural gas vessels at Egypt's port of Damietta and Houthi attacks damaging a Saudi oil refinery in Jazan.
Trump Announces Offensive
US President Donald Trump announced the military offensive during an Oval Office briefing on Wednesday, signaling a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict.
"We're going to be hitting them very hard, because it's our turn to hit them. They know it's coming," President Donald Trump said.
The military response was characterized as a direct retaliation against Tehran's aggression toward American personnel operating in the region.
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"Powerful response to yesterday's attempted Iranian attacks on US forces based in the Middle East," the US military said.
When questioned about whether Iran was also accountable for the drone strikes against maritime gas facilities in Egypt, the administration indicated recurring patterns of Iranian proxy behavior.
"It's a little more of the same," President Donald Trump said.
The escalation triggered immediate economic consequences, with Brent crude oil prices surging 7.3 percent to $88 per barrel.
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In response to the strikes on its territory, the office of Iraqi President Nizar Amidi condemned the military actions on weapons and logistics sites in eastern Iraq, calling them a blatant violation of Iraq's sovereignty.
