US launches fresh airstrikes on Iran following attacks on commercial tankers
Washington: The United States military announced the conclusion of its latest series of aerial bombardments directed at Iran, even as both nations continue to contest control over the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
United States Central Command stated that the raids focused on “Iranian military command centres, maritime capabilities, missile and drone launch sites and air defence systems.”
The military's statement emphasised that “American forces remain postured and prepared to hold Iran accountable for unwarranted aggression toward civilian mariners seeking to freely and openly transit the strait.”
The latest airstrikes coincided with reports from the British military that another commercial tanker had come under fire within the waterway, while Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard claimed responsibility for early Tuesday attacks on two separate vessels.
Late on Monday, the US military confirmed it was executing its tenth consecutive night of targeted strikes inside Iran in an ongoing effort to force the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. The renewed offensive followed the death of an additional American service member and succeeded retaliatory Iranian missile strikes aimed at US allies Kuwait, Jordan, and Bahrain—the latter of which hosts the United States Navy’s Fifth Fleet.
According to updates shared by US Central Command on social media, these recent operations “are designed to further degrade Iranian military capabilities used to attack commercial shipping” in the corridor.
Amid the mounting threat of renewed all-out conflict, potential diplomatic avenues emerged as Iran’s interior minister travelled to Pakistan—a primary mediator in the crisis—to hold official discussions.
The provisional agreement brokered last month to halt hostilities has collapsed, leaving commercial transit through the Strait of Hormuz—an essential global energy supply artery—largely paralysed. As the violence scales up, both belligerents have struck civilian infrastructure relied upon by millions.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre reported on Monday evening that a second vessel had been targeted a day prior inside the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of the United Arab Emirates.
An earlier vessel caught fire in the strait following a projectile impact near Omani coastal waters. The crew successfully abandoned ship, leaving the vessel adrift and ablaze hours afterwards, the UKMTO stated.
While the maritime route hugging Oman has been actively recommended by the US military to bypass Iranian-controlled sectors, the Revolutionary Guard maintained its targeting of tankers transiting the strait.
Tehran simultaneously struck allied nations across the wider Middle East.
Kuwait announced that its air defence systems intercepted an incoming missile barrage, while Jordanian authorities confirmed shooting down three Iranian missiles on Monday evening without causing material damage or casualties. Concurrently, Bahrain’s Foreign Ministry condemned drone strikes targeting national air traffic networks, warning they severely endanger civilian aviation safety.
AP