The Middle East is once again on the brink of full-scale war. Last night US Central Command (CENTCOM) has launched a new, large-scale series of punitive air strikes on key military and strategic sites in Iran. Washington's actions come just hours after US President Donald Trump declared the interim ceasefire agreement with Tehran to be "finally over," calling Iran's leaders "dishonorable people" at the NATO summit in Ankara.
The reason for the strikes: The Battle for the Strait of Hormuz
The new wave of American offensive actions is a direct response to attacks earlier this week in which Iran used missiles and drones to hit three merchant ships (including a Qatari LNG tanker and a Saudi oil tanker) in the vital Strait of Hormuz. The official CENTCOM account on the social network X confirmed that the operation aims to radically weaken the Islamic Republic's ability to threaten international commercial shipping. The escalation is due to Tehran's attempt to impose its control over the routes in the strait and collect fees from passing vessels.
Targets hit and damage in Iran
According to information from the US military and Iranian state media (the IRNA agencies, Mehr and Favs), the strikes were larger than in previous days and hit dozens of targets along Iran's southern coast:
- Bandar Abbas and Sirik: Series of loud explosions heard; critical port infrastructure of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was hit.
- Chabahar and Konarak: A maritime traffic control tower and a missile depot were hit. Parts of Chabahar city were left without electricity. Shrapnel also hit a local hospital.
- Bushehhr: Explosions were reported in the area of the city, but according to Iranian authorities, the civilian nuclear power plant “Bushehhr“ suffered no damage.
- Akula: American missiles destroyed a railway bridge in the northeastern province of Golestan.
- Casualties: At least eight Iranian military personnel were reported killed in the southern regions, as well as one firefighter killed at Iranshahr airport.
Retaliatory strike on Tehran and active sirens in the Gulf
Iran reacts in an unfunny manner to aggression. The country's military command announced that it would not give in to US pressure. The promised Iranian retaliation is already underway, as Air and missile warning sirens sounded in Bahrain and Kuwait. The Kuwaiti army has officially confirmed that its air defense systems are now capable of accepting murderous missiles and drones. Iranian forces shelled the American military base “Sheikh Isa“ in Bahrain.
Economically and diplomatically tight
Parallel to the military actions, the US Treasury Department dealt a heavy economic blow to Tehran, as cancels the license (waiver) issued last month, which allowed Iran to sell petrol on international markets.
This move immediately caused shocks on the world stock exchanges – Brent crude oil prices jumped sharply by more than 5% to close to $79 per barrel. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) advises shipowners to immediately stop sending vessels sailing through the Strait of Hormuz.
Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and diplomats from China and Pakistan are calling for “maximum restraint”, warning that the renewal of hostilities, which originally began on February 28 of this year, could permanently destabilize the entire world economy.