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Iranian state media has reported that US strikes have killed 11 people in two separate attacks, including four at a wedding in the south of the country. This comes after the United States struck what it says were Iranian military targets Tuesday, as Tehran fired missiles and drones at sites across the Middle East, further escalating hostilities after a month-long lull. Follow our liveblog for the latest developments.
Iran says 11 dead in US strikes on its territory: state media
Iran said Wednesday that US strikes on its territory killed 11 people, state media reported, after a fresh attack in the southwestern province of Khuzestan.
“The Deputy Governor of Khuzestan Province for Security and Law Enforcement Affairs said that last night’s US missile attack on three locations in the province left seven people dead and eight injured,” state-run IRNA said.
It came after the Iranian Red Crescent said Tuesday that four people including a child were killed and more than 50 people wounded by a US attack at a wedding in southern Sirik county.
Stocks fall as US-Iran flare-up sends oil prices and bond yields higher
Stocks fell and bond yields held at multi-decade highs as investors ramp up rate hike bets amid a fresh flare-up in Middle East tensions that has sparked another surge in oil prices.
Crude jumped more than two percent and has spiked around 10% this week after the United States hit an Iranian island in the Strait of Hormuz, sparking a series of tit-for-tat attacks in which Tehran has targeted American interests in several regional countries.
The latest round of military action comes after weeks of relative calm during which peace talks went nowhere and Washington said it would aim for the “economic asphyxiation” of the Islamic republic.
A recap of Tuesday’s events
Peru cuts ties with Iran, accusing Tehran of escalating Mideast war
Peru’s Foreign Ministry said Tuesday it has severed diplomatic relations with Iran, accusing Tehran of inciting “an escalation of conflicts” in the Middle East and hindering maritime transit in the Strait of Hormuz.
Citing a historic pacifist stance, the Peruvian government “has made the decision to sever diplomatic relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran,” the ministry said in a statement.
Israel says special forces capture senior Hamas security figure in Gaza City raid
Israeli special forces captured a Hamas militant leader in a raid in Gaza City on Tuesday while Israeli air strikes meant to protect those troops killed four Palestinians, authorities said.
Israel’s military said in a statement that special forces from the Shin Bet intelligence agency captured Hamas’ internal security service chief in a joint operation with the military in a Hamas-controlled area of Gaza City. Hours after the raid, the Hamas-run Gaza interior ministry said that a Hamas officer, Moin Al-Arabeed, was injured and captured by Israel while his wife was killed and some of his children were injured. While Hamas did not identify his role, Al-Arabeed is known to be a powerful member of the group’s security service.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)
