CENTCOM said Wednesday afternoon’s attacks targeted military capabilities used to threaten vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, following a 90-minute morning operation against coastal defenses and missile sites on Greater Tunb Island.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
U.S. forces launched a second round of strikes against Iran on Wednesday afternoon, expanding a day of military operations intended to weaken Tehran’s ability to attack commercial vessels traveling through the Strait of Hormuz.
U.S. Central Command confirmed the additional attacks in an official statement announcing the strikes.
CENTCOM said the latest operation targeted Iranian “military capabilities used to threaten vessels freely transiting through the Strait of Hormuz.”
The command did not disclose the locations struck during the afternoon operation or identify the specific weapons and military systems targeted.
“The U.S. military is holding Iran accountable at the Commander in Chief’s direction,” CENTCOM said in a statement posted on X.
The afternoon attacks followed a 90-minute wave of strikes conducted earlier Wednesday against Greater Tunb Island, an Iranian-controlled island near the Strait of Hormuz.
CENTCOM said the morning operation began at 6 a.m. Eastern time and ended at approximately 7:30 a.m.
Those strikes targeted coastal defense systems and cruise missile storage and launch facilities that American officials said Iran could use to threaten commercial shipping.
The Strait of Hormuz connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and Indian Ocean. In peacetime, approximately one-fifth of the world’s traded oil moves through the narrow waterway, making it one of the most consequential maritime routes in the global economy.
The United States has carried out repeated attacks against Iranian targets since the previous weekend, after Tehran struck commercial ships operating in or near the strait.
President Donald Trump has said a memorandum of understanding that established a framework for a peace agreement between Washington and Tehran is effectively over.
Trump warned Tuesday evening that the campaign could soon expand beyond military installations if Iranian officials refuse to return to negotiations.
“I’ll save the energy targets for last, but ultimately we’ll hit energy targets,” Trump told Fox News reporter Trey Yingst.
“We’re going to hit them very hard tonight. We’re going to hit them very hard tomorrow night. We’re going to hit them very hard the night after, and then next week it gets really bad for them because next week come the power plants. Next week come the bridges.”
The president issued similar warnings before an April ceasefire ended an earlier round of fighting that began Feb. 28.
During that confrontation, Trump also threatened attacks against Iranian bridges and power plants and warned that a “whole civilization will die” if Tehran continued refusing to negotiate.
The administration is demanding that Iran end its disputed nuclear program, reopen the Strait of Hormuz and dilute or surrender enriched uranium believed to have been buried after U.S. and Israeli strikes during the previous summer.
Trump was also asked whether the United States might seize Kharg Island, a strategically important Iranian oil terminal.
“I think it’s unlikely,” Trump said. “If we degrade them far enough and deep enough back, I would do that.”
Kharg Island serves as a major outlet for Iranian crude oil exports and would represent a significant escalation if American forces attempted to capture it.
Iran, meanwhile, indicated that it was not preparing to resume talks.
Esmaeil Baghaei, an Iranian Foreign Ministry official, told state-run media that Tehran was concentrating on defending itself against the renewed U.S. military campaign.
“We currently have no plans for negotiations and are focused on defense,” Baghaei said, according to Iran’s PressTV.
The conflicting positions leave the two countries moving toward further escalation.
Washington says its immediate goal is to protect freedom of navigation and reduce Iran’s ability to strike vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. Trump has also presented military pressure as a means of compelling Iran to accept broader demands involving its nuclear activities and regional conduct.
Tehran has instead rejected negotiations while American attacks continue.
Wednesday’s two rounds of strikes demonstrate that the United States is prepared to conduct multiple operations in a single day as it targets Iranian systems associated with coastal defense, cruise missiles and attacks on shipping.
CENTCOM has not released a full assessment of the damage caused by the afternoon strikes or indicated whether additional operations are planned.
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