Iran's Revolutionary Guard vows to strike US facilities Thursday as American airstrikes resume

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has officially declared retaliatory strikes against US-linked facilities in the Middle East.

The IRGC issued a statement Thursday warning it would "retaliate against US facilities," adding that "the aggressors will be punished on Thursday." The statement made clear the corps intends to strike US military assets and facilities in the region.

The declaration came immediately after the US military resumed airstrikes against Iran in the early hours of Thursday local time. US Central Command announced on X, formerly Twitter, that it completed the operation at around 10 p.m. Wednesday Eastern time.

CENTCOM said the operation struck "dozens of IRGC targets inside Iran, including military command-and-control centers, missile and drone facilities, coastal surveillance and defense installations, and maritime force assets."

The strikes shattered a lull that had lasted several days. President Donald Trump had declined to approve a strike plan on July 24, citing ongoing diplomatic contacts with Iran. US military operations, which had continued for 13 consecutive days, had been on pause since July 23.

The situation shifted sharply after Iran launched a surprise attack on a US military base in Jordan. Trump warned Iran would pay a severe price, and the US military moved to resume its suspended campaign — pushing the risk of direct conflict between the two countries to its highest point yet.