Iran launched retaliatory strikes on US military bases across the Middle East on September 1, firing ballistic missiles and drones at facilities in Jordan, Bahrain, Iraq, and Kuwait after the United States struck a wedding venue in southern Iran, killing at least four people and wounding dozens.
The US strikes on the Kuhestak area in Sirik, Hormozgan Province, hit a residence where families had gathered for a wedding ceremony. Iranian state media reported at least four people killed, including a child, with 63 wounded, according to Al Jazeera. US Central Command said it had targeted Iranian military sites in response to what it called attempted attacks on US troops and commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps responded with a ballistic missile attack on Camp Titin, a US Marine Corps facility near the Gulf of Aqaba in Jordan, and targeted Prince Hassan airbase, claiming to have destroyed several aircraft. The IRGC also reported strikes on radar installations at Sheikh Isa airbase in Bahrain and a combined missile and drone assault on US facilities in Erbil, northern Iraq, claiming to have destroyed a repair center and fuel tanks. Kuwait said its air defenses confronted Iranian drones and missiles, though Tehran did not comment on the Kuwaiti claim.
The exchange marked the heaviest military action between the two countries in more than a month, ending an uneasy pause in hostilities. According to Al Jazeera, the attacks on Wednesday followed an earlier US strike on Larak Island on Sunday, which Iran had already answered with missile launches against the Jordan base. The cycle reflects what Britannica described as a “familiar pattern of horizontal escalation,” in which each side targets the other across multiple locations and asset types rather than pursuing a single objective.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei signaled that retaliation would continue. “The armed forces have unforgettable lessons in store for Washington,” he said, according to Al Jazeera. Colonel Ebrahim Zolfaghari, spokesman for Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, warned that “offensive operations against the Americans will continue until they regret their crimes” and cautioned that “any country that cooperates with the aggressive American army must accept its dangerous consequences.”
US President Donald Trump, meanwhile, rejected reports that the strikes aimed to force Iran back to the negotiating table. “I’m not trying to force Iran to the bargaining table,” he wrote on Truth Social, according to Al Jazeera. “I like our position now much better, with almost total control of the Hormuz Strait, and their economy totally collapsing.”
The conflict, which began on February 28, 2026, has disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and sent energy prices soaring. Oil prices jumped more than 4 percent after the September 1 strikes, and the average US gasoline price has risen to over $4 per gallon from less than $3 before the war, according to Al Jazeera. Diplomatic efforts to end the six-month conflict remain at an impasse, with the US State Department urging Americans in the Middle East to remain alert and prepare for travel disruptions.
Sources
- Al Jazeera — Details of US strikes on Kuhestak wedding venue, Iranian retaliation on Jordan/Bahrain/Iraq/Kuwait bases, casualty figures, Supreme Leader Khamenei’s statement, Trump’s response, oil price impact, and escalation pattern analysis
- NBC News — Confirmation of Tehran’s attack on American bases after US strike on wedding event, casualty estimates
- The Guardian — Iranian state TV report of four killed at Sirik wedding, description of month-long uneasy truce collapse, and escalation timeline
- Britannica — Analysis of retaliatory strikes following “familiar pattern of horizontal escalation”
