NNA News - The United States and Iran have exchanged fresh military strikes, according to statements from U.S. military officials and Iranian media, raising concerns over a widening regional conflict in the Middle East. The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said its forces carried out what it described as "a heavy wave of strikes" late on Wednesday, targeting dozens of sites linked to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

According to CENTCOM, the operation targeted military command centres, missile and drone facilities, coastal defence systems and maritime capabilities in response to what it said were attempted Iranian missile attacks against U.S. forces a day earlier. More than 50,000 U.S. military personnel remain deployed across the Middle East, with CENTCOM saying its forces remain "highly vigilant, focused, lethal, and ready."

U.S. President Donald Trump said Washington would respond forcefully to attacks on American interests. "We're going to be hitting them very hard because it's our turn to hit them," Trump told reporters at the White House. Iranian media reported explosions in the country's southern regions following the strikes. The semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported that Qeshm Island, located in the Strait of Hormuz, and areas in Bushehr Province had come under attack.

According to The Wall Street Journal, citing a U.S. official, the latest military operation was expected to be broader than previous exchanges between Washington and Tehran, targeting a wider range of locations. Following the strikes, Iranian media reported that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps vowed to respond. "We will punish the aggressor today," the IRGC said, according to reports carried by Iranian media.

Strait of Hormuz tensions

The IRGC also claimed that two oil tankers attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz were forced to turn back after one reportedly caught fire overnight. In statements carried by Sepah News, the IRGC said the vessels had attempted to use what it described as an unsafe southern route after being influenced by U.S. military aircraft.

The organisation also warned that countries assisting what it called "the aggressor" could face consequences if they continued supporting military operations in the region. The Strait of Hormuz remains one of the world's most strategically important maritime routes, carrying a significant share of global oil exports.

Regional implications

The latest developments come amid broader security concerns across the Middle East.

According to Axios, Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman met U.S. President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance at the White House on Wednesday. The report, citing unnamed sources, said Saudi Arabia indicated it was continuing negotiations with Yemen's Houthi movement and did not currently require direct U.S. military intervention.

Separately, the United States said it had intercepted an attempted Iranian missile attack targeting U.S. forces earlier in the week. The report also said joint U.S. and Saudi military strikes targeted positions belonging to Iraq's Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), with the PMF reporting casualties following the operation.

Political analyst Sabah al-Sheikh of Baghdad University said the latest developments could signal a shift in regional security dynamics. "The strikes underscore a deepening U.S.-Saudi security alignment at a time when regional stability is at a tipping point," al-Sheikh told the media. The latest military exchanges have heightened concerns over the risk of further escalation in a region already facing multiple security challenges.