An Iranian missile is launched, as Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they had carried out attacks against a US base in Jordan and 21 other targets in the Gulf on Wednesday in retaliation for American strikes around the Strait of Hormuz, from a location given as Tehran, Iran, released June 10, 2026, in this still image taken from a video. (WANA via Pool/via REUTERS)
An Iranian missile is launched, as Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they had carried out attacks against a US base in Jordan and 21 other targets in the Gulf on Wednesday in retaliation for American strikes around the Strait of Hormuz, from a location given as Tehran, Iran, released June 10, 2026, in this still image taken from a video. (WANA via Pool/via REUTERS)

US Central Command said in a post on X that the attack ‌began after midnight Thursday in Tehran. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth presented the move as an effort to force Iran into a deal to end the conflict, telling reporters during a visit to Central Command in ​Florida.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said early on Thursday they had launched counter-attacks on 18 US military targets at airbases in Kuwait and Bahrain. Iran's top joint military command warned it would fire on any vessel attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, which has been largely closed for months. Iranian media reported that two ships were fired upon.

In a subsequent post, US Central Command denied that the strait was closed, saying commercial ships were still transiting the strait ​despite Iran's threats. Trump said earlier in the day that vessels have been crossing the strait without Iran's permission as part of a clandestine military mission.