U.S. Launches Major Airstrikes on Iran Again; Trump: 'They Started It, Now It's Our Turn'

The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on the evening of July 29, Eastern Time, that the U.S. military has launched a new round of airstrikes on targets inside Iran, in direct military response to Iran's attempt the previous day to attack a U.S. military base in Jordan with ballistic missiles. President Trump had repeatedly stated earlier that the U.S. would strike Iran "very hard." In a statement, CENTCOM said the U.S. military began its attack on Iran at 8 p.m. Eastern Time on the 29th, emphasizing it was a "powerful response to Iran's attempt yesterday to attack U.S. forces in the Middle East." By 10 p.m. Eastern Time on the 29th, CENTCOM further stated that U.S. forces had "successfully completed a heavy wave of strikes," targeting dozens of facilities belonging to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) across the country. Over 50,000 U.S. troops remain deployed across the Middle East. According to CENTCOM, the airstrikes targeted military command centers, missile and drone facilities, coastal surveillance and defense positions, and maritime operational capabilities associated with the Revolutionary Guard. The command stated the operation aims to further weaken the threats posed by Iran and its proxies to U.S. forces, commercial shipping, and neighboring Gulf states. CENTCOM also noted that over 50,000 U.S. troops remain deployed across the Middle East, with forces on high alert, focused, lethal, and ready to fight. This military action followed repeated strong warnings from Trump. On the morning of the 29th, Trump told Fox News in an interview: "We're going to knock the hell out of them. We're going to hit them hard. They're going to suffer greatly." Later, at the White House, he reiterated to reporters: "Now it's our turn to hit them, and we're going to hit them hard. They knew this was coming. They were even begging us not to do it, but they started it, so now it's our turn." The immediate trigger for the airstrikes was Iran's attempted ballistic missile attack on a U.S. military base in Jordan on the 28th. CENTCOM said Iran launched five ballistic missiles in an attempt to launch a surprise attack, but all were intercepted before reaching their target. Subsequently, the U.S. and Saudi Arabia jointly struck Iran-backed militia targets in Iraq. CENTCOM explained the action was in response to a series of drone attacks on U.S. and Saudi infrastructure earlier. Multiple media outlets, citing Iranian sources, reported explosions in several locations in southern Iran, including Ahvaz, Sirik, and Nurabad in Fars Province. As of the evening of the 29th, U.S. officials had not publicly confirmed the specific locations hit. This operation marks the first time the U.S. military has directly struck inside Iran since Trump paused 13 consecutive nights of bombing Iranian military targets on the 24th. The previous military actions had briefly opened space for diplomatic efforts. Axios reported on the 26th that CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper had recommended ending the earlier bombing campaign around the Strait of Hormuz, judging that main objectives had largely been achieved and further attacks would have limited military benefit unless the U.S. decided on a broader campaign. The Wall Street Journal reported earlier on the 27th that the Trump administration was still evaluating options ranging from limited retaliatory strikes to large-scale air operations aimed at significantly degrading Iran's missile capabilities, and that Trump had not yet finalized the scale of the operation before the latest airstrikes began. The U.S. military's renewed strikes on Iran represent the latest escalation in the ongoing military standoff between Washington and Tehran. Iran's attempt to attack the U.S. base in Jordan, combined with rapidly expanding military actions across the Middle East over the past week, has clearly heightened tensions between the two sides.