U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces launched a new round of military strikes against Iran (CENTCOM), targeting more than 80 facilities and assets of Iranian forces. Washington announced that the operation was carried out in response to attacks on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz, accusing Tehran of violating the ceasefire.

Forces from the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) announced early Wednesday morning that they had carried out a new operation against Iran, striking more than 80 targets with precision-guided weapons.

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According to CENTCOM’s statement, the U.S. strikes were a direct response to Iran’s recent attacks on commercial ships traveling through the Strait of Hormuz.

The targets struck by U.S. forces

As stated by the U.S. command, the strikes targeted critical Iranian military capabilities.

“U.S. forces struck Iranian air defense systems, command-and-control networks, coastal radar installations, anti-ship missile launch capabilities, as well as more than 60 small vessels belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in and near the Strait of Hormuz,” CENTCOM stated.

According to the same statement, the objective of the operation was to limit Tehran’s ability to continue attacks against international commercial shipping.

The Strait of Hormuz is one of the most important maritime corridors for global trade and energy security.

Iran says it struck 85 U.S. military facilities in Kuwait and Bahrain

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that it had targeted 85 U.S. military facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait, in response to what they described as a “violation of the ceasefire,” following the barrage of U.S. strikes in southern Iran.

Earlier, it had been reported that both Bahrain and Kuwait had activated missile attack warning sirens, while the Iranian armed forces had warned of a “crushing response” to the U.S. strikes.

More specifically, the Kuwaiti armed forces announced in the early morning hours that they were taking action to counter “hostile attacks involving missiles and drones,” shortly after the U.S. military announced that it had completed airstrikes in Iran, striking “more than 80 targets.” “Kuwait’s air defense is currently repelling hostile attacks carried out with missiles and drones,” the armed forces reported via X, without explicitly stating which country was responsible.

In addition, air raid sirens were activated in Bahrain, as announced via X by the emirate’s Ministry of Interior. “The siren sounded,” the ministry said, without providing further details. “We advise citizens and residents to remain calm and head to the nearest safe location,” it added.

Both Kuwait, which is home to a major U.S. air base, and Bahrain, where the headquarters of the U.S. 5th Fleet is located, have repeatedly been targeted by Iranian attacks involving missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles since the war in the Middle East broke out on February 28.

The attacks on the three merchant ships

CENTCOM claimed that prior to the U.S. strikes, Iranian forces had attacked three merchant ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

These were the tanker M/T Al Rekayyat, flying the Marshall Islands flag; the M/T Wedyan, flying the Saudi Arabian flag; and the M/T Cyprus Prosperity, flying the Liberian flag.

The U.S. administration characterized Iran’s actions as “unjustified aggression,” emphasizing that they constitute a “clear and dangerous violation of the ceasefire” and a threat to freedom of navigation.

“The U.S. is ready to hold Iran accountable”

In its statement, CENTCOM emphasized that U.S. forces remain on high alert.

As it noted, the United States is prepared to hold Iran accountable should the agreement not be honored or should there be a new violation.

The new military operation is increasing tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, with the international community monitoring developments at one of the most critical chokepoints for global shipping.

Iran: We Will Take Decisive Measures

Iran warned the U.S. against such a “violation” and stated that “it will take decisive measures to protect its interests and national security,” Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Garibabadi said via X.

Iranian state media reported that a series of explosions were heard in the Strait of Hormuz area.

“Iran’s actions in the strait are completely unacceptable from the U.S. perspective and will not go unpunished,” a U.S. official told reporters on condition of anonymity, following the release of a Treasury Department document banning “new transactions” in Iranian hydrocarbons as of yesterday.

Against the backdrop of this new escalation in tensions, the price of a barrel of U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude rose 2.63% to $72.29 shortly after Asian markets opened.

Shipping resumed in the Strait of Hormuz following the signing of the memorandum of understanding, but the operation was not exactly smooth sailing.

In late June, two ships were struck by projectiles of unknown origin—the U.S. military attributed the attacks to Tehran and, two days later, bombed Iran. The Islamic Republic retaliated by launching missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles against its neighbors in the Gulf, particularly Kuwait and Bahrain. The parties subsequently reached an agreement and suspended hostilities.

Unresolved Disputes Over the Management of the Strait

Saudi Arabian diplomats condemned “the targeting by the Islamic Republic of Iran of the Saudi tanker Wedyan” and that of the “Al Rekayyat of Qatar,” denouncing “an attack on the safety of international shipping and the security of the global energy supply.”

Earlier, the Emirate of Qatar announced that it had summoned the Iranian chargé d’affaires and demanded “explanations for this attack” against its vessel.

Qatar’s Foreign Ministry also stated that it had handed the Iranian diplomat a note of protest, demanding that Tehran “to immediately cease any action that undermines regional security” and to “refrain from endangering the global energy supply.”

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei, for his part, rejected Qatar’s “unacceptable” accusation against his country.

Without attributing them to any specific party, the UKMTO reported yesterday, Tuesday, that two more attacks had taken place: one against a tanker using a missile of unknown type, and a second against a tanker by a drone, though it did not specify who launched it.

In all three cases, the British agency, which falls under the Ministry of Defense, clarified that there were no injuries or environmental contamination.

Tehran rules out, despite Washington’s opposition, a return to the status quo ante—the pre-war situation—when passage through the Strait of Hormuz was free, while threatening ships that attempt to bypass the only route it permits, along the Iranian coast.

This new escalation comes as Iran has been holding six days of ceremonies since Saturday ahead of the burial of its former supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the initial U.S.-Israeli strikes. Yesterday, his body was transported to Iraq, where ceremonies will be held in Najaf and Karbala, cities home to many of the holiest sites of Shia Islam.

Source: Protothema.gr