US hits dozens of targets in 'heavy wave' of strikes against Iran: CENTCOM
The U.S. hit dozens of targets in a "heavy wave" of strikes against Iran in response to an attempted surprise missile attack on U.S. forces earlier this week, U.S. Central Command said in a statement.
"CENTCOM assets struck dozens of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targets in Iran, including military command centers, missile and drone facilities, coastal surveillance and defense sites, and maritime capabilities," the statement said. "The strikes aimed to further diminish threats posed by Iran and its proxies to American forces, commercial shipping, and neighboring Gulf countries."
CENTCOM has said Iran launched multiple ballistic missiles on Tuesday toward U.S. forces based in the Middle East but that all the missiles were successfully intercepted.
US begins retaliatory strikes against Iran
United States Central Command said it has begun retaliatory strikes against Iran Wednesday night in the wake of Tuesday night’s surprise attack on U.S. forces.
Earlier on Wednesday, President Donald Trump signaled that the U.S. would carry out major strikes as a result of that attack. CENTCOM is calling the strikes a “powerful response” to the attack.
-ABC News' Luis Martinez
Netanyahu and Trump discussed Iran options in White House meeting: Israeli official
During their White House meeting on Tuesday, President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed multiple options for how to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon including military, diplomatic and economic pressure options, according to a senior Israeli official who briefed reporters on the meeting.
Netanyahu did not express to Trump a preference for which option to take when asked if Netanyahu prefers a military option, said the official.
The official warned Iran that if it attacked Israel, it would be making “a big mistake” because Israel would respond “very, very forcefully” and “very quickly."
The official made clear that in the relationship between the two leaders, Trump is the "senior partner" and Netanyahu is the "junior partner."
The official said Israel believes that Iran’s nuclear material has not been moved from the nuclear facilities bombed by the U.S. last week. “We know where it is, it hasn’t moved,” the official said. But later the official seemed to step back from that assertion saying “We think we know where it is" without elaborating.
Ahead of the Trump-Netanyahu meeting there had been indications that the Israeli leader was going to present intelligence about Iran’s activities at Pickaxe Mountain near Natanz, which in the end did not happen.
The official downplayed that Israel had more intelligence than the U.S. noting that both countries readily share their intelligence about Iran.
-ABC News' Luis Martinez
Trump says 'it's our turn' to strike Iran, vowing to hit them 'very hard,' 'smack them a little bit'
President Donald Trump said that it is "our turn" to strike Iran during an event in the Oval Office on Wednesday, hinting at an impending response to Iran's intercepted strikes on U.S. forces in the Middle East last night.
While the president vowed to strike Iran "very hard" and also "smack them a little bit," he also left the door open to the negotiations he has claimed are going on, following his threats by saying "we'll see if we get there with an agreement at some point."
"In the meantime, we're going to be hitting them very hard because it's our turn to hit them. They know it's coming. They're asking us not to do it, but you know they tried shooting it last night," Trump said.
"So we had five rockets shot going 8,500 miles an hour, and all five rockets were knocked down to the ground, but they nevertheless took a shot. So, it's our turn, and we'll see if we get there with an agreement at some point. But we're going to hit them very hard," Trump added.
When a reporter asked whether Trump would "always respond" to an Iranian strike, Trump said, "pretty much."
Egypt says fire breaks out at Damietta port after reports of drone attack
Egypt's Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral resources confirmed on Wednesday that "a fire broke out on the regasification vessel and the storage vessel located in Damietta Port."
The ministry said the "incident did not result in any injuries or loss of life," without specifying the cause of the fire.
The ministry's brief statement followed reports on an explosion at the LNG (liquid natural gas) terminal in Egypt, located in the north east of the country.
One security source denied the port had been targeted by a drone, after Reuters, citing maritime security firm Ambrey, reported that an initial assessment indicated a drone had hit a U.S.-owned gas storage tanker at Damietta port.
In a separate statement, the Inchcape Shipping Services, a port services firm, said that an explosion had occurred at Egypt's Damietta Port during cargo discharge operations on Wednesday evening.
The vessels involved have been relocated outside the port, and operations are expected to resume at nighttime at other berths and terminals, ISS said.
-ABC News' Ayat Altawy, Jamie Dorrington, Somayeh Malekian
US Patriot stockpile diminished by 65%, think tank estimates
A Center for Strategic and International Studies report released this week estimates that the U.S. stockpiles of its two critical air defense interceptors are dramatically reduced since combat between the U.S. and Iran began on Feb. 28.
The new report updates a prior report from April 8, when the two countries entered a ceasefire. The first report found that the U.S. stockpile of Patriot interceptors decreased by 55%. Updated figures -- accounting for a number of conflagrations since the ceasefire -- find the stockpile reduced another 10% -- with 65% of US Patriots now lost, according to the CSIS findings.
That's as few as 759 Patriot missiles in the U.S. stockpile, the analysis says.
The U.S. produces 183 of these interceptors a year, and it takes some 3.5 years from when a contract is signed for them to be delivered, according to CSIS.
-ABC News' Chris Boccia
US sanctions IRGC-backed entities operating insurance schemes in Strait of Hormuz
The Departments of State and Treasury have announced new sanctions targeting IRGC-backed entities accused of running "coercive 'insurance' schemes" to extort vessels in the Strait of Hormuz by charging fees for protection against risks created by the Iranian regime itself, as well as eight companies the administration says have facilitated Iranian oil exports to China and the UAE.
The move brings the total number of Iranian shadow fleet vessels sanctioned by the U.S. this year to over 100.
"The United States will continue to hold Iran accountable for weaponizing vital international waterways and evading sanctions through shadow fleet operations and deceptive financial schemes,” State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said.
"Protecting navigational rights and freedoms in the Strait of Hormuz is a global interest, and the United States will act, alongside partners, to ensure Iran cannot hold international commerce hostage to finance its malign activities," Pigott said.
Trump says US will hit Iran 'hard' following Jordan missile attack
President Donald Trump is pledging the U.S. will respond to an overnight missile attack launched by Iran.
Describing the missile attack as a surprise, Trump told Fox News on Wednesday, "we'll be hitting them [Iran] hard” and added, "they're going to get a beating."
Trump said U.S. forces at the targeted facilities shot down the incoming missiles and had only minutes to respond to what U.S. Central Command called an "attempted surprise attack."
Commenting on overnight U.S.-Saudi strikes on Iranian-backed militias in Iraq, Trump said the Tehran-aligned groups were a "cancer on the world."
On Tuesday’s meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the president said that it was a great meeting and said that he believes his relationship with Netanyahu is strengthening.
Trump said that the meeting was great in terms of possible talks with the Iranian regime, and pledged that the U.S. is going to allow negotiators to keep talking. The Iranians have repeatedly rejected that there are ongoing talks.
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