At least four people were killed and 35 others were heavily wounded when a U.S. strike hit a home hosting a wedding ceremony in southern Iran, a provincial official said Tuesday. The strike took place in Sirik county in Hormozgan province, Iranian state TV reported.

Escalation in Hostilities

The U.S. military hit targets in Iran on Tuesday, and Tehran fired missiles and drones in response as hostilities flare once again in an intermittent war that has lasted more than six months. The U.S. strikes followed others on Sunday that abruptly ended a month without military action and threatened to fully reignite a conflict that has spiked global oil prices and posed political problems for Republicans in November’s midterm congressional elections.

The renewed fighting comes after President Donald Trump had appeared to pivot toward trying to bend Iran to his will through economic sanctions. “If the failed Nation of Iran retaliates for this very justified attack, they will be hit again at a much harder and higher level, but it will not be the biggest attack of them all, that is waiting in the wings,” Trump warned on social media.

U.S. Central Command Statement

U.S. Central Command said the latest strikes were in response to Tehran trying to attack commercial ships and American forces in the Middle East; Iranian semiofficial media later said the country began firing missiles and drones in response to U.S. strikes. The Fars and Tasnim news agencies, seen as close to Iran’s security forces, reported late Tuesday that it had launched such operations.

Iran’s Armed Forces General Staff and its joint military command said the armed forces would deliver what they described as “crushing and devastating blows” against the United States.

Context of the Conflict

The U.S. military has been conducting strikes in the region amid heightened tensions with Iran; the recent attacks mark a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict, which has seen sporadic military actions and diplomatic tensions. The U.S. has been using a combination of military strikes and economic sanctions to pressure Iran into altering its regional policies and nuclear activities.

The U.S. has accused Iran of supporting militant groups in the Middle East and of engaging in destabilizing behavior; Iran, in turn, has accused the U.S. of interfering in its internal affairs and of seeking to undermine its sovereignty.