The United States carried out another round of airstrikes against Iran on Wednesday (local time), targeting coastal defense systems and missile infrastructure linked to attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, as Washington stepped up military operations for the fifth consecutive day.US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the latest strikes were aimed at reducing Iranian military capabilities used to threaten ships passing through the strategic waterway.“Today at 3 p.m. ET, U.S. Central Command forces launched an additional round of strikes against Iran,” Centcom said in a post on Twitter.“The new attacks focused on Iranian military capabilities were used to threaten ships transiting freely through the Strait of Hormuz,” it said. It said the US military was “holding Iran accountable at the direction of the Commander in Chief.”
Explosions reported in southern Iran
Iranian media reported explosions in several locations following the US strikes.Iran’s Mehr news agency said American shells fell at a location near Bandar Abbas, while three explosions were heard in Chabahar. The agency also reported explosions in Ahvaz after CENTCOM announced a new round of strikes.There was no immediate official assessment from Tehran on the number of casualties or the extent of damage.
Greater Tunb Island among major targets
The latest attacks follow a previous wave of attacks launched on Wednesday morning.U.S. forces launched strikes on Greater Tunb Island at 6 a.m. ET (1100 GMT), targeting Iranian coastal defense systems as well as cruise missile storage and launch sites.Centcom said the operation was completed within about 90 minutes.The US military said, “The strikes are designed to further degrade the military capabilities that Iranian forces have used to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.”Greater Tunb is one of a group of strategically important islands near the Strait of Hormuz that analysts have described as part of Iran’s “hardline defense.”
US-Iran conflict deepens
The fresh tensions come as the US reinstated 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 that it considers necessary to neutralize before carrying out any broader operation to reopen the strait.The confrontation has escalated since Iran announced over the weekend that it had closed the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s busiest energy chokepoints, through which about a fifth of global oil and gas shipments passed before the conflict.Shipping traffic through the waterway declined sharply, while Brent crude closed at a one-month high of $84.95 a barrel on Wednesday, according to Reuters.
Iran called the conflict an “existential war”.
Responding to the latest US attacks, Iran’s parliament speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf described the conflict as a “necessary and existential war” with the United States.“We are in a necessary and existential war with America,” Qalibaf said in a statement.He said Iran’s security depended on maintaining what he described as the “Iranian order” 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 should “be prepared to close all other export corridors that benefit the US and its allies”.Analysts quoted by Reuters said it appeared Tehran was signaling it could use its Houthi allies in Yemen to threaten shipping through the Bab al-Mandeb strait, another vital global trade route linking the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
Trump puts renewed pressure on Tehran
The latest military action comes as US President Donald Trump is pressuring Iran to return to talks.On Tuesday, Trump warned that the United States could target Iranian energy infrastructure and bridges if Tehran refused to restart talks.“I will ultimately save the energy goals, but ultimately we will achieve the energy goals,” Trump said.Asked on Wednesday whether Iran had a deadline before the US began attacking the bridges, Trump responded: “I don’t like to give deadlines, but they pretty much know, they know the story… They behave better.”US negotiators informed their Iranian counterparts that “you better make a deal”.However, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghai said Tehran had no plans to return to talks and would focus on the country’s defense.“At the moment we have no plans for talks and we are focusing on defence,” Iran’s Tasnim news agency quoted Baghai as saying.The renewed attacks have further weakened hopes of reviving an interim ceasefire agreement signed last month that was aimed at paving the way for comprehensive talks on Iran’s nuclear program and a permanent end to hostilities.