WASHINGTON — The U.S. military carried out a 12th consecutive night of strikes against Iranian military targets, U.S. Central Command said on Thursday, extending an air campaign that Washington says is aimed at reducing Iran's ability to threaten commercial shipping in regional waters.
CENTCOM said U.S. forces struck Iranian maritime capabilities, missile and drone storage facilities, coastal surveillance sites and air-defense assets. The command said the latest operation was conducted at President Donald Trump's direction and was intended to "further degrade Iran's ability to attack civilian mariners and commercial vessels."
The strikes are part of a sustained U.S. campaign that has targeted dozens of Iranian military sites, according to CENTCOM. The United States has also sought to restrict Iran's access to maritime routes after the collapse of a ceasefire arrangement, according to U.S. officials.
The latest strikes come amid heightened tensions around the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route for global energy shipments. Washington has said it wants to restore the flow of commercial shipping through the waterway, while Iran has continued to threaten retaliation against U.S. forces and regional interests.
President Donald Trump warned on Wednesday that the United States would target Iranian infrastructure if Iran attacked vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded that Tehran would follow an "eye for an eye" defense doctrine, according to reports by the Associated Press.
Iranian state media reported attacks in the country's southwest overnight, including in Ramshir and Ahvaz, while authorities in Bushehr province reported a U.S. missile attack. Those reports could not be independently verified.
The conflict has also spread beyond the immediate U.S.-Iran confrontation. Iran-backed Houthi fighters in Yemen claimed on Thursday that they had attacked two Saudi-linked tankers in the Red Sea, according to the Associated Press. The attacks came after the Houthis threatened to restrict shipping linked to Saudi Arabia.
Kuwait's military said early Thursday that its air defenses were responding to hostile drone threats, with explosions heard in the country attributed by authorities to interceptions. The source of the drones was not immediately established.
The United States has not announced a timetable for ending the strikes. CENTCOM said the mission would continue to focus on reducing Iran's capacity to threaten civilian mariners and commercial vessels transiting regional waters.
