US Debates Next Round of Strikes on Iran Amid Rising Tensions

Following President Donald Trump's warning of continued US attacks on Iran, American officials are still deliberating the strategy for the next wave of strikes. According to a US source speaking to CNN, discussions center on a memorandum of understanding that appears close to collapse, with Trump having declared it "over." The recent extensive US military operation was a response to an Iranian attack earlier this week on three commercial vessels, including Saudi and Qatari oil tankers, in international waters near Oman. The US described Iran's actions as "direct acts of international terrorism against innocent ships," prompting a focused campaign to impose a heavy cost for threatening freedom of navigation.

US Central Command reported targeted strikes on over 80 sites across Iran, including advanced air defense systems, missile launch sites, command and control networks, naval radar installations, and more than 60 fast boats operated by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards near the Strait of Hormuz. The scale of the strikes was described by Washington officials as significantly larger than last month's operations and continued into the morning with loud explosions heard in southern Iran. The US deployed more than a dozen military aircraft in the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman, including tankers and advanced maritime reconnaissance planes, enabling prolonged air presence and sustained bombardment.

Key strategic assets hit included Kharg Island, which handles about 90% of Iran's crude oil exports, Qeshm Island serving as a forward defense base, and the port cities of Bandar Abbas and Sirik. These ongoing exchanges have effectively dismantled the interim agreement previously reached, leading the US Treasury Department to immediately revoke Iran's oil sanctions exemptions.

In response, Iran issued stern warnings, with reports from PRESS TV stating Tehran would close the Strait of Hormuz if US attacks resume. The Revolutionary Guards claimed to have conducted a joint operation against 85 US military sites, including the Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain and Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait, and asserted they shot down an American MQ-9 drone earlier in the day. The situation remains highly volatile as both sides prepare for potential further escalation.