Iran's Revolutionary Guard threatened further escalation on Thursday after a wave of retaliatory U.S. strikes on the country overnight. The Guard said on Thursday that it "will punish the aggressor today," adding that countries aiding the U.S. in the conflict would also "receive a harsh response," according to Iranian state media. It also said that it maintains "full control" of the Strait of Hormuz, and that "a stranger who has come from thousands of kilometres away will not be allowed to interfere." It comes after U.S. forces completed a "heavy wave" of strikes against Iran on Wednesday stateside, in retaliation against its missile attacks on American forces in the region. U.S. Central Command described the operation as a "powerful response" to Tuesday's attempted Iranian attacks on U.S. forces in the Middle East. The two-hour-long attacks saw the U.S. hit dozens of Guard targets across Iran, including military command centers, missile and drone facilities, coastal surveillance and defense sites, and maritime capabilities, Centcom said. The strikes were aimed at further degrading threats from Iran and its proxies to U.S. forces, commercial shipping and neighboring Gulf states, it said. The fresh attacks come after Iranian military forces targeted American forces in the Gulf region with multiple ballistic missiles late Tuesday stateside, although all of them were intercepted. Jordan's armed forces said the country's air defenses intercepted five missiles launched from Iran. Tuesday's surprise attack broke the pattern of Iran responding to American strikes, signaling Tehran's willingness to restart hostilities, said Seth Krummrich, vice president at security firm Global Guardian and a retired U.S. Army colonel. The move suggests Iran intends to "respond more aggressively to future U.S. military action and may be moving away from diplomacy," Krummrich said. Critical civilian infrastructure, including airports, power grids, desalination plants and Gulf energy facilities, could be targeted once again, he said. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday warned that a prolonged conflict risks drawing in the wider region. The resumption of strikes marks the latest turn in a conflict that has whipsawed oil markets and disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz since fighting erupted in late February. The U.S. had halted two weeks of fire against Iranian targets last weekend, as diplomats sought to give peace talks "some space." Trump telegraphed the retaliation hours earlier, warning to order heavy strikes on Iran. "We'll be hitting them hard. They're going to get a beating," Trump told a Fox News reporter early Wednesday. Trump's rhetoric sent Brent crude futures 7.9% higher to close at $90.74 a barrel on Wednesday, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures advanced 6.6% to settle at $84.46. Oil was slightly lower in Asian trade on Thursday . Hostilities have widened across the region. U.S. and Saudi Arabia armed forces launched joint strikes Tuesday against Iran-allied militias in Iraq that had targeted oil facilities in Riyadh and Saudi Arabia's Eastern region. Yemen's Houthis had claimed attacks on Saudi pipeline infrastructure feeding the Red Sea export terminal at Yanbu. The barrage came as...
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