The U.S. military began conducting airstrikes in Iran on Wednesday evening, U.S. Central Command confirmed in a statement.
Why it matters: These are the first U.S. strikes in Iran since President Trump paused the bombing campaign Friday to give negotiations another chance.
- Wednesday’s strikes came in retaliation for an Iranian missile attack targeting a U.S. base in Jordan on Tuesday. All of the Iranian missiles were intercepted, according to the U.S. military.
- “The strikes are a powerful response to yesterday’s attempted Iranian attacks on U.S. forces based in the Middle East,” CENTCOM said.
Driving the news: Trump told reporters Wednesday afternoon that the U.S. would hit Iran “very hard” later in the day.
- “It’s our turn,” Trump said.
- He claimed Iran had acknowledged that launching the missiles was a mistake and had asked the U.S. not to retaliate.
The big picture: Trump paused the strikes Friday after 13 consecutive nights of attacks on Iranian military targets, opening a brief window for diplomacy.
- Iran’s missile attack shattered the pause and prompted Trump to resume the military campaign five days later.
Editor’s note: This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
