WASHINGTON — The United States carried out an additional round of military strikes against Iranian targets along the country's southern coastline, U.S. Central Command said, marking a renewed escalation in hostilities after Washington said Tehran had threatened commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
CENTCOM said the operation targeted about 90 military sites, including air defense systems, coastal surveillance assets, missile and drone storage facilities, naval capabilities and military logistics infrastructure. The command said the strikes were intended to further degrade Iran's ability to threaten freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's busiest energy shipping routes.
U.S. officials said President Donald Trump authorized the operation after Iran was accused of attacking commercial vessels transiting the strategic waterway. Washington has said the strikes were conducted in response to what it described as unjustified Iranian aggression against civilian shipping.
Iranian state media reported explosions in several southern locations, including Bandar Abbas, Sirik, Chabahar and parts of Bushehr province. Iranian news agencies also reported strikes near maritime facilities and other infrastructure, though Iranian authorities did not immediately provide a comprehensive assessment of the damage. Independent verification of the reported impacts was not immediately possible.
The latest attacks followed an earlier wave of U.S. strikes this week and underscored the collapse of a fragile ceasefire that had temporarily reduced direct military confrontation between Washington and Tehran. President Trump said the ceasefire was effectively over while warning that additional Iranian attacks would prompt further U.S. military action.
Iran has rejected U.S. accusations over responsibility for attacks on commercial shipping and has condemned the American strikes as violations of its sovereignty. Iranian officials have also reported retaliatory missile and drone attacks against U.S. military facilities in the Gulf, while U.S. authorities said regional air defenses intercepted incoming threats. Neither side's battlefield claims could be independently verified.
The renewed fighting has heightened concerns over security in the Strait of Hormuz, through which a significant share of global oil exports passes. Shipping advisories have urged commercial vessels to exercise increased caution as diplomatic efforts by regional governments to restore stability continue.
As of Friday, neither Washington nor Tehran had announced new negotiations, and U.S. officials said military forces in the region remained prepared for further operations if ordered.
