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Tankers, strikes, and retaliation
The U.S. military attacked two Iranian government tankers as part of Tuesday’s strikes, with U.S. officials saying the first time it had struck Iranian tankers in retaliation for Iranian attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz rather than to prevent violations of a naval blockade.
“a new "tanker for tanker" policy approved by President Trump”
Axios reported that a U.S. official said the move followed a new "tanker for tanker" policy approved by President Trump, and that U.S. drones launched missiles that hit the tankers’ engine rooms.
Reuters said the U.S. launched a barrage of airstrikes against Iran on Tuesday, prompting Iranian retaliation, and described it as the most serious escalation in weeks in a conflict that has driven up global energy prices.
Reuters also reported that five people were killed and 50 wounded at a wedding near Sirik, with the Iranian Red Crescent reporting the figures and Mehr saying a 4-year-old child was among those killed.
In response to the U.S. strikes, Reuters said the IRGC warned the U.S. attacks would "tighten the lock" on the Strait of Hormuz, which Reuters said carried one of every five barrels of the world’s oil before the war began.
Wedding casualties and official denials
NBC News said President Donald Trump described the Tuesday attack as “large and powerful” and as “retaliation for the Iranians’ failed attempt at adding sea mines to the Strait,” while also saying it was in response to an Iranian missile launch at an American military base in Jordan.
NBC News reported that a U.S. strike hit a wedding ceremony in Kuhestak in southern Iran, killing four people, including a child, and wounding more than 50 others, citing the semiofficial Fars news agency and the Red Crescent of Hormozgan province.
Reuters said Iranian media reported a U.S. strike hit a wedding ceremony in the town of Kuhestak, killing at least four people and wounding at least 35, and Reuters quoted CENTCOM spokesman Capt. Tim Hawkins responding: "We're aware of the reports, which originated from Iranian state media."
Reuters added that Capt. Tim Hawkins said, "The U.S. military never targets civilians, unlike the IRGC," as U.S. officials said Iran’s retaliation failed and that it fired around 25 ballistic missiles with only half reaching Jordanian airspace.
Axios also quoted a U.S. official saying, "The Iranians have not only lost control of the Strait of Hormuz, they have also lost control over the conflict. They got nothing today," as American forces continued guiding ships through the strait.
What comes next for the region
Reuters said the U.S. and Iran exchanged fire after the weekend exchange of fire — the first since July — and after attacks on Monday on two tankers leaving the Strait of Hormuz, while Reuters reported that Tehran struck back at U.S. assets in Jordan, Bahrain and Iraq.
“All American personnel are accounted for after Iran’s retaliatory attacks”
Reuters reported that Jordan’s armed forces said its air defense systems dealt with 13 ballistic missiles that entered the kingdom’s airspace, with 10 intercepted and three falling in remote areas, and that Bahrain said Iranian drones were intercepted and destroyed.
Fox News said a senior U.S. official told Fox News that all American personnel are accounted for after Iran’s retaliatory attacks and that the U.S. intercepted “the majority of” missiles fired by Tehran, while also saying most of the missiles and drones were headed toward Jordan before being shot down.
Fox News also reported that G20 finance leaders called Tuesday for “free, safe and predictable navigation” through the Strait of Hormuz, citing concerns over continued disruptions to energy trade, and that the language appeared in a statement issued after G20 finance ministers and central bank governors met in Asheville, North Carolina.
In the same Reuters account, the IRGC said the U.S. attacks would "tighten the lock" on the Strait of Hormuz, while Reuters reported that Trump warned Iran against responding and threatened to strike again "at a much harder and higher level."