WASHINGTON, United States — The United States announced Saturday it was launching new airstrikes to punish Iran for attacks against US forces after its first military deaths since renewing its hostilities with Tehran.

 

US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on X that the strikes began at 2200 GMT and "are designed to further degrade Iran's ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and swiftly punish Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces who launched attacks against American service members in Jordan last night."

 

Iran's supreme leader vowed to teach the United States "unforgettable lessons" on Saturday, as Washington reported its first military deaths since renewing its hostilities with the Islamic republic.

 

Iranian supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who took over from his father after he was killed in the opening salvo of US-Israeli strikes, said the ongoing attacks on his country "once again demonstrated to everyone the worthlessness of the American president's signature".

 

"Now that the American enemy seeks to incite war and bear its most serious consequences, it should know that the dear Iranian nation and the axis of resistance have unforgettable lessons to offer it," he added, in a statement carried by state TV.

 

Major General Mohsen Rezaei, a senior military adviser to Khamenei, warned that Tehran would resume "full-scale offensive operations" if US strikes continued in the coming days.

 

"Iran will no longer limit itself to retaliatory, like-for-like responses," Mohsen said, according to state media.

 

The latest bout of violence was sparked by Iranian attacks on ships in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a vital transport lane for Gulf energy exports that Tehran seeks to control.

 

Iran closed the strait after the war broke out, and control over the route has become leverage in negotiations with Washington, which recently reimposed its own blockade of Iran's ports.

 

The health ministry said Friday that 50 people had been killed since the renewed fighting broke out and more than 500 injured.