THE United States military said on Sunday that it carried out fresh attacks on Iran to “swiftly punish” Tehran for a devastating attack that killed two US military personnel.

An area near Sirik in Iran’s Hormozgan province and Qeshm Island were hit on the eighth consecutive night of US air strikes on Iran, according to Iran’s Mehr and Tasnim news agencies.

The news reports said there were no casualties and that residential and commercial infrastructure was not damaged in the attacks.

In a social media post, US Central Command (Centcom) said the US military launched new strikes “designed to further degrade Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.”

The post added that strikes were also in retaliation for Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks on a US base in Jordan that killed the two US service members on Friday.

Centcom later added that its attacks targeted “Iranian military coastal surveillance and air defence facilities, maritime capabilities and missile and drone storage sites.”

Since the US and Israel launched their illegal and unprovoked attack against Iran in February, the US has reported that 16 of its service personnel have been killed by the Iranians and more than 430 wounded.

Tasnim news agency said the Iranian army hit back by targeting US assets in two bases in Kuwait.

In a statement, the Iranian military said: “In response to the repeated aggressions of the enemy,” the army targeted a US “ammunition depot at Al-Adiri camp and the Patriot radar and air radar” at the Ali Al Salem base in Kuwait.

Before the latest US strikes, Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei warned the US that it will suffer “unforgettable lessons” as he accused the US of repeatedly violating the memorandum of understanding between the two countries.

In a written statement, Ayatollah Khamenei said: “The repeated breach of agreements by the Great Satan vis-a-vis the accord has once again proven to all that the signature of the President of America is now utterly worthless and invalid, and that bullying, hegemonism and savagery are inseparable components of the American creed and doctrine.”

Initially, US attacks focused on control of the Strait of Hormuz but in recent days its attacks have targeted civilian infrastructure, including bridges and desalination plants for drinking water.

But there are unconfirmed reports that the US is making preparations to attempt to occupy Iranian oil and gas fields in a bid to take over Iran’s oil industry.