Overview

The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that early on Thursday local time it executed a heavy wave of strikes against dozens of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targets across Iran. The operation was declared successfully completed at 10 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday. Targets included military command centres, missile and drone facilities, coastal surveillance and defence sites, and maritime capabilities operated by the IRGC. Deutsche Bank analysts observed that the strikes were confined to IRGC installations and did not affect civilian infrastructure.

Context and Related Actions

The strikes were described by CENTCOM in a social‑media post as “a powerful response” to an attempted Iranian missile attack on U.S. forces the previous day. The stated aim was to further diminish threats posed by Iran and its proxy groups to U.S. forces, commercial shipping, and neighbouring Gulf nations. On the same Wednesday, Iran launched multiple ballistic missiles at U.S. forces stationed in Jordan; all missiles were intercepted and no casualties were reported.

U.S. President Donald Trump told Fox News that Iran would be targeted following the attack. The renewed U.S. strikes coincide with a broader escalation across the Middle East: U.S. and Saudi fighter jets have been targeting Iran‑backed militia positions in Iraq, and an apparent drone attack struck an American‑owned tanker off Egypt’s Mediterranean coast. More than 50,000 U.S. service members remain deployed across the Middle East and are combat‑ready, according to CENTCOM. Additionally, Yemen’s Iran‑aligned Houthis have launched attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea, raising fresh concerns over the security of key energy trade routes.

Market Impact

The conflict has rattled global energy markets. Brent crude futures, the global oil benchmark, were last trading higher by 1.1% at $91.78 a barrel, after having surged more than 7% on Wednesday.

Source Details

The article, authored by Scott Kanowsky for Reuters’ Economy section, was published on 30‑07‑2026 at 06:34 am and updated at 01:58 pm the same day.