TEHRAN, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) said Tuesday night that it had begun its "regret-inducing" response to U.S. strikes earlier in the day, with Iran's military command vowing "crushing and shattering" blows against the United States.
In a statement published on its official outlet Sepah News, the IRGC said its air defense had shot down a "hostile" U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone, while its aerospace forces had launched ballistic missile strikes on U.S. bases and assets in the region.
The IRGC said the response came after U.S. strikes on southern Iran earlier in the day, which it said killed and wounded more than 54 people.
The semi-official Fars news agency, citing local officials, reported that at least four people, including a child and a woman, were killed and more than 50 others were wounded in a U.S. strike on a wedding ceremony in Sirik County, Hormozgan Province.
Several explosions were heard on Tuesday evening in southern Iran after the U.S. Central Command announced strikes on IRGC targets.
The blasts were reported in parts of Hormozgan, Sistan and Baluchestan, Kerman and Bushehr provinces, Iranian media reported, saying multiple explosions also occurred in Konarak and near Qeshm Island, though the locations and causes remained unclear.
Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, the country's main military command, said the armed forces would deliver "crushing and shattering" blows in response to what it called U.S. "air aggression."
In a post on social media platform X, the U.S. Central Command said U.S. forces had begun strikes on IRGC targets, adding that "the strikes follow recent attempted attacks by the IRGC against commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and against American service members deployed to the region." ■
