U.S. military officials said they have completed their latest series of strikes on Iran, marking the 11th consecutive night of American attacks, reports UNN.
Details
"Forces of the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) struck Iranian military operations centers, naval facilities, aircraft hangars, drone storage sites, and military logistics infrastructure to further degrade Iran's ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz," the CENTCOM statement said on Wednesday night.
According to the U.S. military, the strikes lasted about 75 minutes, notes Reuters.
Iranian state media, as reported by the BBC, said air defense was activated in the capital Tehran. Explosions were also reported in Tabriz, Chabahar, Konarak, and Bushehr, where Iran's only nuclear power plant is located.
Al Jazeera notes that American strikes hit an electrical substation near the Bushehr nuclear power plant. The deputy governor for security affairs in Bushehr province said no one was injured in the attack.
Iran, which previously retaliated with strikes against the U.S. and its Middle Eastern allies, warned of possible retaliatory measures after U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. could soon strike a complex known as "Mount Pickaxe" — an underground nuclear facility near Natanz, where Iran is believed to be building an undeclared uranium enrichment site.
"We will strike that area very soon, and very hard," Trump said, addressing reporters during a meeting at the White House with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun. He added that he usually does not announce targets, but "there's nothing to be done about it."
Iran's "Khatam al-Anbiya" military command said it would view such an attack "as an expansion of the war in the region," threatening strikes against "all American interests, allies, and supporters," state broadcaster IRIB reported.
Iran and the U.S. agreed to a ceasefire in April, but hostilities resumed last week as both countries vied for control over the vital waterway — the Strait of Hormuz.
Washington said that over the past three months, Iran has attacked more than 30 commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
Kuwait's army said early Wednesday that its air defense systems were repelling drone attacks from Iran, while Bahrain and Jordan said they also intercepted drone and missile strikes.
Trump also threatened to "deal with" the Houthi rebels if the Iran-backed militant group in Yemen carries out its threat to blockade Saudi ports.
Earlier, a Houthi media representative announced the closure of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait — the southern gateway to the Red Sea — to Saudi vessels. The Red Sea has become critical for oil supplies from Saudi Arabia during the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, which has led to the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
After the Houthi statement, two tankers that had just loaded Saudi oil destined for China and India at the Saudi port of Yanbu on the Red Sea turned around and headed for the Suez Canal on Tuesday, according to British maritime risk management group Vanguard.
The Houthi threat could lead to further disruptions in international shipping, as hostilities in the region have already caused significant fluctuations in global fuel prices.
The Iran war began on February 28, when the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran, to which Iran responded with its own strikes on Israel and the Gulf states hosting American bases.
Thousands of people have been killed and millions forced to flee their homes as a result of U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran and Israeli attacks on Lebanon during the war.
According to a representative of the Iranian Ministry of Health, 50 civilians have been killed and 500 wounded in the recent U.S. strikes on Iran.
The number of U.S. military casualties in this war has risen to 18 people in recent days.
On Monday, Trump promised revenge against Iran after a deadly weekend for American troops.
Last week, Trump threatened to expand the list of targets to be attacked in Iran to include power plants and bridges.
Axios: Trump approaches a decisive point in the war with Iran21.07.26, 09:59