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US warns Americans of potential escalation as Iran strikes after U.S. attacks
Confirmed
In Short: The U.S. has warned Americans in the Middle East to be vigilant after launching strikes on Iran and responding to Iranian missile attacks.
Multiple U.S. embassies in the Middle East issued warnings to Americans of potential escalation as U.S. Central Command launched strikes on Iran around 12 p.m. on Tuesday.
The strikes targeted Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) sites on Larak Island in response to Iran's failed attempt to add sea mines to the Strait of Hormuz and their missile attacks on a U.S. base in Jordan.
Iran responded by launching eight ballistic missiles at U.S. bases in Jordan, with several explosions heard east of Bandar Abbas, according to Iran’s state broadcaster.
In response, the U.S. military is enforcing a blockade of Iranian ports and U.S. Navy aircraft are patrolling the region.
The U.S. embassies advised Americans to be aware of potential flight cancellations, airspace closures, and travel disruptions in the region.
Background
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and historically known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the northeast, Afghanistan to the east, Pakistan to the southeast, and the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf to the south.
What's confirmed
What's still developing
- "The strikes are large and powerful, and in retaliation for the Iranians’ failed attempt at adding sea mines to the Strait, which currently has no mines (They have been completely removed or detonated!), and the Iranians shooting eight missiles, all successfully knocked down, at our Military Base in Jordan," Trump wrote on Truth Social on Tuesday.
- U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed the strikes in a post on Truth Social, calling them “large and powerful” and describing them as retaliation for Iran’s attempted mining of the Strait and a missile attack on a U.S. base in Jordan, all of which, he said, were intercepted.
- 3 praised the “precious presence” of the small Christian communities who “make Christ present” in the Middle East.
- Pope Leo recalled the witness of martyrdom of Catholics who gave their lives for the faith in recent years in Iraq, Syria, and other parts of the Middle East scarred by violence.