US pounds Iran, Tehran strikes back at bases in biggest exchange since July

WASHINGTON/DUBAI − Iranians and their Arab neighbors feared a return of war after the biggest exchange of fire between Tehran and Washington since July as U.S. forces struck Iran's southern coast and Iran fired at American bases across the region.

The United States threatened more devastating strikes. Iran accused Washington of striking a wedding party, killing four people and wounding dozens.

Asian and European stocks tumbled after the renewed U.S. airstrikes, which pushed oil prices back up to levels unseen since July.

The U.S. military said it struck air defences, radar systems, maritime assets, mine-laying capabilities and communications sites Sept. 1. Iran reported hits on multiple targets near the Strait of Hormuz.

"Last night was like the end of the world," Mahmoud, 38, a municipal worker in Sirik County along the strait, told Reuters by telephone, describing attacks on the area, which includes the city where the wedding party was reported to have been hit.

Iran responded by striking what it said were U.S. assets in Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait and Iraq. Tehran said its aim was now to drive U.S. forces from the vast network of military bases they have occupied for decades across the Middle East.

"American evil in…

Original source: https://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/