Washington/Tehran: The United States on Wednesday carried out a fresh wave of military strikes targeting Iran's coastal defence systems and missile facilities, intensifying an already volatile confrontation between the two countries over control of the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz.
The latest attacks came after Washington reimposed a naval blockade of Iranian ports, while Tehran responded with renewed threats to halt additional regional energy exports, raising fears of a wider conflict that could disrupt global oil supplies.
According to the US Central Command (CENTCOM), American forces began the operation at 6:00 a.m. Eastern Time, launching precision strikes against military infrastructure allegedly used by Iran to target commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
"The strikes are designed to further degrade military capabilities Iranian forces have used to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz," CENTCOM said in an official statement.
The US military said the operation targeted coastal defence systems, cruise missile storage facilities and launch sites located on Greater Tunb Island, one of the strategically important islands near the entrance to the Strait. Officials said the mission was completed within approximately 90 minutes.
The strikes followed an earlier seven-hour operation on Tuesday, during which the US claimed to have struck dozens of Iranian military installations along the country's southern coastline and near the Strait of Hormuz.
There were no immediate reports of the latest attacks in Iranian state media.
Iran, however, responded swiftly. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed it had launched retaliatory strikes against US military installations across the region, including bases in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan. Independent verification of those claims was not immediately available.
Tehran also escalated its rhetoric by warning that it could further disrupt regional energy exports if US military operations continued.
"The export of oil and gas from the region will be either for everyone or for no one," the Revolutionary Guard declared, adding that the United States "must brace for the closure of all other export corridors that benefit the US and its allies."
The latest exchange comes amid rapidly escalating hostilities that intensified after Iran announced late on Saturday that it had closed the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's busiest maritime chokepoints through which nearly one-fifth of global oil trade passes.
Washington has accused Iran of attacking seven commercial vessels in the Strait over the past week, allegations that Tehran has not formally acknowledged.
With both sides continuing to exchange military strikes and increasingly forceful warnings, international observers fear that the confrontation could trigger a broader regional conflict with significant consequences for global energy markets and maritime security.
