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The US and \u200bIran found themselves back in a war footing on Wednesday after the most significant exchange in weeks, with Washington threatening even more devastating strikes while \u200cIran protested an attack that it said killed five and wounded dozens of civilians at a wedding.<\/strong><\/p>\n The US military\u2019s Central Command said it completed a wave of strikes against Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targets on Tuesday including air defense sites, radar systems, maritime assets and facilities, mine-laying capabilities, and communications sites.<\/p>\n Iranian media reported attacks on multiple targets around the country on Tuesday, many near the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran has \u200bbeen threatening oil tankers that dare transit the narrow waterway without authorization.<\/p>\n Iran in turn said it struck US assets in Jordan and Iraq, according to official statements, \u200bwhile Iranian media reports said it also attacked Bahrain. Although the IRGC said it killed a large number of US forces in Jordan, \u2060two US officials told Reuters there had not been any casualties, according to initial assessments.<\/p>\n Jordan\u2019s armed forces said its air defense systems dealt with 13 ballistic missiles that entered the \u200bkingdom\u2019s airspace, 10 of which were intercepted and three fell in remote areas. Bahrain said Iranian drones were intercepted and destroyed.<\/p>\n The IRGC also said its ground forces carried out combined missile \u200band drone attacks on US bases in Erbil in northern Iraq, killing several US personnel. Neither Iraq nor the US had confirmed the attack.<\/p>\n The exchange of fire marked the first serious combat since July, ending a period in which the warring parties withheld fire but also showed little interest in returning to negotiations.<\/p>\n The lull came as the conflict appeared to be draining both sides. Iran\u2019s already ailing economy has been battered \u200bby war and its conventional military forces have been degraded. Meanwhile, with US President Donald Trump confronting higher fuel prices ahead of November congressional elections, the US Army has used up \u200bmuch of its global stockpile of highly accurate long-range missiles, Reuters reported last month, raising concerns about the military\u2019s readiness for future conflicts.<\/p>\n Nonetheless, the renewal of hostilities produced another exchange of defiant statements.<\/p>\n \u201cI \u200clike our position \u2060now much better, with almost total control of the Hormuz Strait, and their economy totally collapsing,\u201d Trump said. \u201cThey are just playing out the inevitable. When are the Iranian people going to rise up and fight?\u201d<\/p>\n Iran threatened the US and its allies.<\/p>\n