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China reiterates call on US, Iran to stop escalating tensions amid fresh air strikes

China on Wednesday reiterated its call on Washington and Tehran to stop escalating tensions after the US launched fresh attacks on Iran. “China is deeply concerned” over the latest situation, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian told reporters in Beijing. The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said Tuesday that American forces launched air strikes against Iranian military targets in response to the downing of a US Army Apache helicopter on Monday. Read: Iran will 'not hesitate to exercise' right to self-defence: foreign ministry Later, Iran’s military headquarters said early Wednesday that attacks had been launched on some US bases in the region in response to American strikes on southern Iran. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the US opted to test Tehran's determination. However, Lin called on the warring sides to “remain calm, exercise restraint, stop escalating tensions, take concrete actions to ease tensions.” Lin asked ...
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Iran strikes US bases in Gulf after Trump orders attacks near Hormuz

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they had carried out missile and drone attacks on US military bases in Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain on Wednesday in retaliation for American strikes on Iranian targets around the Strait of Hormuz. The exchange, after US President Donald Trump said that Iran had downed a US Apache helicopter near the strait, marks one of the most significant escalations since Washington and Tehran agreed to a ceasefire in April. "I believe the response should be very strong, very powerful, and that's what this one is," Trump told ABC News on Tuesday. The US military said it targeted Iranian air defences, ground control stations and surveillance radar sites in what it described as a "proportional response" to the downing of the helicopter, whose two crew members were rescued. Read: Iran will 'not hesitate to exercise' right to self-defence: foreign ministry The tit-for-tat attacks, just days after Iran exchanged fire with Israel for the first time since the ceasefire, cast fresh doubt on prospects for a deal to end the war, which began on February 28 with joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran. Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Tehran would "reassess" its diplomatic engagement with Washington after "repeated ceasefire violations". "Any diplomatic process requires a minimum stable environment," Esmaeil Baghaei said. The US strikes lasted around four hours, with Central Command saying shortly before 9 pm ET (6 am PKT Wednesday) that operations had ended. A US official said nearly 20 Iranian targets were hit. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Qeshm Island and the port city of Sirik were attacked. Iranian media also reported explosions in Bandar Abbas, another port city, and later near Jask at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz. Iran targets US bases The IRGC said it had attacked US bases in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan with drones and missiles in response to the new "U.S. aggression". It said it had fired long-range missiles at four sites at the US al-Azraq base in Jordan, including F-35 fighter jet hangars and a command-and-control centre, and it was ready to deliver a "crushing and decisive" response to any further US action. A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said initial assessments showed nearly all Iranian missiles and drones had been intercepted, with no immediate reports of harm to US personnel or damage to US facilities. The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Reuters could not immediately verify the battlefield reports. Jordan's military said it had intercepted and shot down five missiles launched from Iran toward al-Azraq, and that falling debris caused no injuries or damage. Kuwait's defence ministry said it had intercepted "hostile aerial targets". In contrast, Bahrain's air defences had repelled Iranian attacks, a media adviser to the king said on X. Kuwait houses US military facilities including a major airbase. At the same time, Bahrain is the headquarters of the US Navy's regional fleet. Asian stocks fell, and oil prices rose amid the renewed hostilities, though moves were more muted than in previous Gulf flare-ups. Trump downplays helicopter loss The US attack helicopter was brought down by a one-way Iranian attack drone, according to a US official who spoke on condition of anonymity. Two US crew members were uninjured, Trump said. The helicopter went down in waters off Oman's coast while on patrol at around 3 am on Tuesday (5am PKT Tuesday), the US military said, adding that a Navy surface drone had located and rescued the crew. Iran's state media, citing a military source, said no offensive air operations had been conducted in the Strait of Hormuz in the preceding 24 hours. The US military's Central Command said the two crew were rescued after two hours and said they were in stable condition - a more cautious assessment than Trump's description. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi did not directly address the incident but warned in a post on X that foreign forces in the region risk accidents or crossfire. "To reduce risk, best solution is for them to leave," he wrote. Speaking later to the Wall Street Journal, Trump played down the incident, saying it "wasn’t a big deal" and stressing that "the pilot is fine". Nevertheless, the episode is likely to add further strain to efforts to broker a peace deal to end the wider Middle East war and reopen Hormuz. Peace deal appears remote The ceasefire in early April was announced with plans for peace talks. Diplomats have since sought to reopen Hormuz, end a U.S. blockade of Iranian ports and create a pathway for negotiations over Iran's nuclear programme. Trump has repeatedly said a deal is close, but despite several rounds of indirect talks mediated by Pakistan and Qatar, the two sides still appear far apart. Fighting in a parallel war between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon has continued, and Tehran has maintained restrictions on most shipping through the strait, which before the war carried a fifth of the world's crude oil and liquefied natural gas. Washington has kept its own blockade of Iranian ports in place. Trump has said any peace deal must ensure Iran cannot develop a nuclear weapon. Iran denies any such ambitions. Iran's demands include the lifting of international sanctions, the release of billions of dollars in frozen assets, recognition of its control of the strait and an end to fighting in Lebanon.

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