The United States Army completed a new round of attacks against Iran, claiming to have hit “dozens of military targets” on the Iranian coasts, especially around the Strait of Hormuz, and announced the imposition of a blockade on Iranian ports starting at 4:00 PM (ET) this Tuesday.
“Today, at 3:00 PM (ET), United States Central Command (CENTCOM) forces began launching a new round of attacks against Iran in order to continue degrading Iranian capabilities used to attack commercial maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz,” it reported on its social media.
In the same message, CENTCOM indicated that its troops were preparing “to resume the naval blockade against Iranian ports and coastal areas,” which, it said, would “take effect at 4:00 PM.”
According to CENTCOM, the U.S. Navy maintains deployed in the area more than 20 warships and hundreds of military aircraft operating at various points in the Middle East.
After seven hours of operations, the military command reported that the offensive hit “dozens of military targets”, including missile and drone positions, naval capabilities, and Iranian coastal defense systems.
The operation was carried out using precision munitions, combat aircraft, drones, and warships, with the aim of further degrading Iran’s ability to threaten commercial navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.
CENTCOM commander Admiral Brad Cooper stated that the offensive responds to recent attacks attributed to Iran against civilian vessels.
“Iran has deliberately attacked civilians throughout the region by attacking seven merchant ships,” Cooper said, adding that those incidents left crew members dead, missing, and injured.
Iranian authorities confirmed impacts in various parts of the country, according to the state agency Tasnim.
The attacks reached the cities of Ahvaz, in Khuzestan province; Bandar Abbas, Sirik, and the islands of Qeshm and Hengam, located in Hormozgan province, facing the Strait of Hormuz.
The Hormozgan governorate indicated that, so far, no casualties or damage to residential or commercial infrastructure have been reported.
Meanwhile, the governor of the city of Dehloran, in Ilam province, reported that a mineral water production plant was hit by three projectiles, causing material damage to its facilities, although no people were injured.
