US launches fresh strikes on Iran, targets military capabilities threatening Hormuz transit | World

Washington:

The United States has launched a fresh wave of airstrikes against Iran, targeting the military capabilities of the Islamic Republic that US forces said were being used to threaten commercial and naval vessels transiting through the Strait of Hormuz. The latest strikes came shortly after US President Donald Trump warned Tehran to “behave.” 

In a post on X, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the latest strikes were carried out at 3 pm ET under the direction of the US Commander in Chief, which was the second wave of strikes that took place on Wednesday (local time).

“At 3 pm ET, U.S. forces launched operations for a second wave of strikes today against Iran. The strikes are targeting Iranian military capabilities used to threaten vessels freely transiting through the Strait of Hormuz, an international waterway vital to global commerce. The U.S. military is holding Iran accountable at the Commander in Chief’s direction,” CENTCOM said in its post.

Explosions reported in Iranian cities

Following the strikes, Iranian media reported explosions in the southern cities of Ahvaz and Chabahar, although it remains unclear whether the blasts were directly linked to the US military operation.

The latest offensive came after the US Central Command (CENTCOM) concluded an earlier round of strikes at 7:30 am ET on Wednesday, marking a continued escalation in US military action against Iran.

According to CENTCOM, US forces carried out a 90-minute operation using precision-guided munitions against Iranian coastal defence systems and cruise missile storage and launch sites on Greater Tunb Island.

The military command said the earlier strikes further degraded Iran’s ability to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most strategically significant maritime trade routes.

US reimposes Hormuz blockade 

Meanwhile, the United States has reimposed a naval blockade on Iran and intensified its airstrike campaign in retaliation for Tehran’s attacks on vessels attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz.

According to Iranian officials, the latest US strikes targeted an Iranian Army barracks, killing at least seven soldiers and leaving hundreds of people injured across the country.

Days of back-and-forth strikes by the US and Iran across the Middle East – and renewed threats to the waterway crucial to global energy supplies – have shredded the interim deal to end the conflict and the region could tip back into all-out war.

The US had initially imposed a naval blockade in April, but lifted it last month after both sides agreed to an interim truce that paused hostilities and provided a 60-day window for negotiations, including talks on Iran’s nuclear programme. Those negotiations have since stalled as tensions around the Strait of Hormuz have sharply escalated.

(With ANI and AP inputs)

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