Iranian media reported early Wednesday morning.

The Iranian strikes hit American bases in Kuwait and Bahrain. They followed US military reports of attacks on several Iranian facilities near the Strait of Hormuz.

According to media reports, nearly all of the missiles and drones launched by Iran were intercepted. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage to US assets.

The US strikes were in response to the downing of an American Apache helicopter near Hormuz earlier this week. US President Donald Trump wrote on social media that the United States was forced to respond to the Iranian attack.

These recent events have further undermined hopes for a peaceful settlement in the Middle East. Iran condemned the US actions as aggression and vowed to respond harshly to any further strikes. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned the United States to "leave our region" if it cares about its security, and stated that the country's armed forces "will not leave any attack or threat unanswered."

Hopes for peace in the Middle East briefly rose earlier this week when Iran and Israel agreed to cease airstrikes against each other, following Trump's demands to do so.

Trump reiterated this week that a peace agreement is near and that the United States is just weeks away from declaring victory over Iran.

However, talks between Washington and Tehran have yet to yield tangible progress toward ending the war, which entered its fourth month in June.

The Strait of Hormuz remains closed, and the United States maintains a naval blockade of Iran.

Following the latest escalation, oil prices rose sharply, while risky assets on global markets generally declined.