US Military Launches New Strikes on Iranian Targets Amid Strait of Hormuz Tensions

The US Central Command announced overnight between Sunday and Monday that it initiated a new wave of attacks against multiple targets across Iran in response to restrictions on freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. For the first time, US forces targeted Iranian military air defense systems, coastal radar sites, missile and drone capabilities, and small boats using fighter jets, naval vessels, unidirectional drones, and maritime drones.

Iran reported explosions in the port city of Bandar Abbas near the strait. The US stated that President Donald Trump ordered the strikes to punish Iranian forces for limiting maritime freedom. In retaliation, Iran's Revolutionary Guard claimed to have launched missiles and drones at Prince Hassan Air Base in Jordan, setting fuel tanks and ammunition depots ablaze, describing this as the first phase of their response to US attacks on Iranian bases along the coast.

Additional alarms sounded in Bahrain following detection of another Iranian attack. The strikes caused significant disruptions at Dubai International Airport, with hundreds of flight delays and dozens of cancellations reported. A US Central Command spokesperson told CNN that prior to the US strikes, the Revolutionary Guard fired again at a merchant ship passing through the Strait of Hormuz. US forces successfully intercepted an Iranian cruise missile and an attack drone.

The US stated the strikes aim to continue degrading Iran's ability to threaten civilian mariners and commercial vessels freely transiting the strait. Iran reported one fatality and four injuries from a US strike on a water pumping station in the southwest, with explosions also heard in Ahvaz, Mahshahr, and Bushehr. Before the escalation, Israeli assessments suggested Iran was reluctant to attack Israel to avoid severe escalation, but warned the situation could change rapidly if Iranian attacks on Israeli targets occur.

Following the US strikes, Iran warned Gulf states they could become "legitimate targets" and vowed to defend its sovereignty against US military aggression and any other aggressors. Iran condemned the US attacks as sabotage undermining recent diplomatic efforts to reduce regional tensions. A US official revealed that about 20 commercial vessels transited the Strait of Hormuz in the past 24 hours coordinated with the US military, while some ships passed without Washington's coordination, according to Axios.