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The United States has launched another wave of attacks on Iran, striking what it said were military targets along the country’s southern coast and near the Strait of Hormuz, while Tehran claimed fresh attacks on US military facilities across the region as a fragile ceasefire comes under growing strain.
US Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees the US military in the Middle East, said the seven-hour operation concluded at ۱۰pm EDT on Tuesday (۰۲:۰۰ GMT Wednesday), with fighter aircraft, drones and naval vessels striking “dozens of military targets near the Strait of Hormuz and Iranian coastal areas”. The strikes coincided with Washington’s resumption of its naval blockade of Iranian ports, while oil prices climbed amid concerns over disruptions to global energy supplies.
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Iranian media reported explosions in several cities and on islands along the country’s southern coast, including Bandar Abbas, Qeshm, Hengam, Sirik and Bushehr, where air defence systems were activated.
Reporting from Tehran, Al Jazeera’s Tohid Asadi described “another night of escalation”, saying a bottled water facility in Dehloran, western Ilam province, was reportedly hit, while Iranian sources said projectiles struck soldiers’ accommodation at a military base in Bampur, in southeastern Sistan and Baluchestan province. There was no immediate confirmation of any casualties.
Iran claims attacks on US bases
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it had launched overnight attacks on US military assets in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan in response to the latest US strikes.
The IRGC claimed it had inflicted heavy damage on the US Fifth Fleet headquarters, support facilities and fuel tanks in Bahrain, as well as a major US military logistics hub at Mina Abdullah in Kuwait.
The group also said it destroyed shelters housing US F-۱۵, F-۱۶ and F-۳۵ fighter jets, as well as several MQ-۹ drones.
Meanwhile, Jordan’s military said its air defences intercepted and shot down three Iranian ballistic missiles that entered the country’s airspace early on Cargo ships anchoring near the Strait of Hormuz at Khor Fakkan, off the eastern coast of the United Arab Emirates, on July ۱۲, ۲۰۲۶ [AFP]Wednesday.
The latest exchange comes less than a month after Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding that extended an April ceasefire and set out plans for talks aimed at ending the war that began on February ۲۸ with Israeli and US strikes on Iran. Both sides have since accused the other of violating the agreement.
Trump threatens to hit infrastructure
US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that attacks on Iran “will continue until I say enough”, adding that potential future targets could include power plants and bridges.
In an interview with Fox News, Trump also said the US had warned Tehran to return to negotiations. “I’ll save the energy targets for last, but ultimately we’ll hit energy targets,” he said.
Alongside the military strikes, the US said it had resumed its naval blockade of vessels travelling to or from Iranian ports and coastal areas, with the measure taking effect at ۲۰:۰۰ GMT on Tuesday.
Reporting from Washington, DC, Al Jazeera’s Mike Hanna said the US had deployed significant naval assets to the region. “There are a huge number of US naval vessels in the region; CENTCOM says there are some ۲۱ US vessels,” he said.
“They will attempt to blockade that Iranian route through the Strait of Hormuz and turn back any ships that have any connection to Iran … But this is complicated because, unlike the previous naval blockade, the US is also saying it will protect vessels using the Omani shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz.”
The renewed tensions follow Iran’s closure of the strategic waterway after Oman announced a new shipping transit corridor through the Strait of Hormuz. Before the closure, the IRGC had warned commercial vessels to use only routes through the strait approved by Tehran, which it says is a clause in the memorandum of understanding signed by both sides in June.
On Wednesday, the IRGC warned it could close “all other export corridors that benefit the US and its allies”, according to Iran’s IRNA news agency.
“Regional energy exports are either shared by all, or denied to all,” the statement said.
Before the war began in February, roughly one-fifth of global oil and gas shipments passed through the Strait of Hormuz each day.
Oil prices rose early on Wednesday as markets reacted to the US blockade. Brent crude climbed to $۸۶.۱۹ a barrel by ۰۰:۲۹ GMT, up sharply from near $۷۰ a barrel before the latest escalation.
Separately, the US Treasury said it had frozen more than $۱۳۰m by sanctioning several cryptocurrency wallets linked to Iran’s central bank.
