US launches fresh strikes on Iran (File photo)
The United States carried out another round of airstrikes against Iran on Wednesday (local time), targeting coastal defence systems and missile infrastructure linked to attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, as Washington intensified military operations for the fifth straight day.US Central Command (Centcom) said the latest strikes were aimed at degrading Iranian military capabilities used to threaten vessels transiting through the strategic waterway.”At 3 pm ET today, US Central Command forces began launching an additional round of strikes against Iran,” Centcom said in a post on X.”The new strikes focused on Iranian military capabilities used to threaten vessels freely transiting through the Strait of Hormuz,” it added, saying the US military was “holding Iran accountable at the Commander in Chief’s direction.”
Explosions reported across southern Iran
Iranian media reported explosions at multiple locations following the US attacks.Iran’s Mehr News Agency said US projectiles struck a location near Bandar Abbas, while three explosions were heard in Chabahar. The agency also reported explosions in Ahvaz after Centcom announced the fresh round of strikes.There was no immediate official assessment from Tehran on casualties or the extent of the damage.
Greater Tunb Island among key targets
The latest strikes followed an earlier wave of attacks launched on Wednesday morning. US forces began strikes at 6 am ET (1100 GMT) against Greater Tunb Island, targeting Iranian coastal defence systems as well as cruise missile storage and launch sites.Centcom said the operation was completed within about 90 minutes.”The strikes are designed to further degrade military capabilities Iranian forces have used to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz,” the US military said.Greater Tunb is one of a group of strategically important islands near the Strait of Hormuz that analysts have described as forming part of Iran’s “arch defence”.
US-Iran confrontation deepens
The latest escalation comes after the US restored its naval blockade of Iranian ports on Tuesday and continued strikes aimed at weakening Tehran’s military presence around the Strait of Hormuz.Washington is targeting Iranian military capabilities it considers essential to neutralise before carrying out any broader operations to reopen the strait.The confrontation has intensified since Iran announced over the weekend that it had closed the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s busiest energy chokepoints through which roughly one-fifth of global oil and gas shipments passed before the conflict.Shipping traffic through the waterway has since fallen sharply, while Brent crude settled at a one-month high of $84.95 a barrel on Wednesday, according to Reuters.
Iran calls conflict an “existential war”
Reacting to the latest US strikes, Iran’s parliament speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf described the conflict as an “essential and existential war” with the United States.”We are in an essential and existential war with America,” Qalibaf said in a statement.He added that Iran’s security depended on maintaining what he described as “Iranian arrangements” in the Strait of Hormuz.Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps also threatened to expand the conflict by targeting additional regional energy export routes, warning that the United States “must brace for the closure of all other export corridors that benefit the U.S. and its allies”.Analysts cited by Reuters said Tehran appeared to be signalling it could use its Houthi allies in Yemen to threaten shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, another vital global trade route linking the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
Trump renews pressure on Tehran
The latest military action comes as US President Donald Trump continues to pressure Iran to return to negotiations.On Tuesday, Trump warned that the United States could target Iranian energy infrastructure and bridges if Tehran refused to resume talks.”I’ll save the energy targets for last, but ultimately we’ll hit energy targets,” Trump said.Asked on Wednesday whether Iran had a deadline before the US began attacking bridges, Trump replied: “I don’t like giving deadlines, but they pretty much know, they know the story … they better behave.”US negotiators had informed their Iranian counterparts that “you better make a deal”.However, Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran had no plans to return to negotiations and remained focused on defending the country.”We have no plans for negotiations at the moment and are focused on defence,” Baghaei was quoted as saying by Iran’s Tasnim news agency.The renewed strikes have further weakened hopes of reviving the interim ceasefire agreement signed last month, which had been intended to pave the way for broader negotiations on Iran’s nuclear programme and a permanent end to hostilities. Go to Source
