The U.S. military has resumed airstrikes against Iran after a six-day hiatus.

The U.S. Central Command announced on the 29th (local time) that it "began airstrikes against Iran starting at 8:00 p.m. today, Eastern Time."

8:00 p.m. Eastern Time corresponds to 3:30 a.m. on the 30th in Tehran, Iran.

Central Command explained that these airstrikes are a strong response to the attacks attempted by Iran the previous day targeting U.S. forces stationed in the Middle East.

Iran had fired multiple ballistic missiles the day before toward a U.S. military base in Jordan, and Central Command stated that it had successfully intercepted all of the ballistic missiles.

Following the U.S. announcement, major foreign media outlets reported, citing Iranian state media, that multiple explosions were heard in various parts of southern Iran, including Qeshm Island and Bushehr.

The U.S. airstrikes against Iran have resumed for the first time in six days since the 23rd.

On the 24th, President Donald Trump stated that talks with Iran were underway and that the likelihood of reaching a deal was high, leading him not to approve the U.S. military's strike plans.

As a result, the U.S. airstrikes that had continued for 13 days were suspended, and the armed conflict between the two sides had shown a lull.

However, President Trump warned of strong retaliation against Iran's preemptive attack, stating on this day, "Now it's our turn."

With the U.S. military resuming airstrikes on Iran, Iran is also expected to continue retaliatory strikes against U.S. military bases installed in American allies in the Middle East.

In particular, the battlefield is expanding as pro-Iranian proxy forces, such as the Houthi rebels in Yemen and Iraqi militias, are attacking not only U.S. bases but also Saudi Arabian oil facilities and oil tankers, as well as U.S.-owned liquefied natural gas (LNG) storage facilities off the coast of Egypt.

In addition, Saudi Arabia, which had been passive in counterattacking despite suffering previous attacks by Iran, is now taking limited part in this war by fiercely retaliating against the Houthi attack on oil facilities last week while also joining the U.S. the previous day in striking strongholds of pro-Iranian militias in Iraq.

(Photo: U.S. Central Command X account, Yonhap News)