Iran says 7 soldiers killed, 13 others in 1st direct US strike on army

State broadcaster IRIB reported that the US military fired 13 missiles at a residential area and accommodation facility at a barracks of the Iranian army's ground forces in the city of Bampur, in Sistan and Baluchestan province.

The Iranian army said seven members of the 388th Brigade were killed and 13 others were injured in the attack, while several others were wounded and are receiving medical treatment.

The military condemned the strike and vowed a “decisive response” to what it described as “US aggression.”

Previous rounds of Israeli strikes that began on June 13 and the joint US-Israeli attacks on Feb. 28 did not directly target Iranian army or Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps facilities.

Government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani said Wednesday that more than 30 civilians have been killed in recent attacks on southern Iran in the recent US attacks.

Earlier Tuesday, US President Donald Trump said strikes on Iran would continue and intensify in the coming days, warning that the US would begin targeting the country's power plants and bridges next week unless Tehran returned to the negotiating table.

Tensions between the US and Iran have escalated in recent days over the Strait of Hormuz, with the two sides exchanging attacks despite a Pakistan-mediated memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the conflict and reaching a lasting peace agreement.