CENTCOM said the operation is a response to an attack on a container ship in the Strait of Hormuz
The United States has launched a third wave of strikes against Iran this week, escalating an already volatile confrontation just hours after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) declared that the strategic Strait of Hormuz would remain closed to all shipping indefinitely.
 |
| Source: Pixabay |
In a statement issued Saturday evening local time, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the latest strikes were launched after the IRGC "blatantly" attacked the Cyprus-flagged container ship GFS Galaxy, sparking a fire in its engine room. One crew member remains missing, according to CENTCOM.
"The United States is imposing a heavy cost by continuing to degrade Iran's ability to attack civilian mariners and commercial ships freely transiting the strait," the US military added, signaling that further military action remains on the table should Iranian attacks on shipping continue.
"Iran made a poor choice. Now they pay," US War Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote on X shortly after the strikes began, underscoring Washington's hardened stance following days of tit-for-tat escalation.
CENTCOM said US forces struck approximately 140 targets across Iran, including missile and drone sites, ammunition depots, and radar installations, marking one of the most extensive bombardment campaigns of the current confrontation.
Iranian broadcaster Press TV reported strikes in the south of the country, including on the ports of Chabahar, Bushehr, and Sirik, all of which had also been hit earlier in the week. Air defenses were reportedly activated over Tehran as the capital braced for potential further attacks.
Iran responded by firing missiles at Gulf states, triggering air raid alerts in Qatar, the UAE, and Bahrain. The IRGC claimed it had "destroyed" a command center and hangars housing US MQ-9 Reaper drones at Prince Hassan Air Base in Jordan. The Guard also said it had targeted a support and refueling facility for US aircraft carriers at the port of Duqm in Oman, signaling an effort to strike at the broader US military footprint across the region rather than confining retaliation to direct combatants.
According to Press TV, Iranian forces also launched drones at a US Patriot air defense system, an ammunition depot, and a radar site in Kuwait, along with a separate radar installation in Bahrain, further widening the geographic scope of the conflict beyond Iran's immediate borders.
Regional energy markets on edge: The escalating conflict threatens to destabilize one of the world's most critical energy corridors, as the Strait of Hormuz handles roughly a quarter of global seaborne oil and liquefied natural gas trade. Any prolonged closure or disruption could send shockwaves through global energy prices, with shipping insurers already reporting sharply higher premiums for vessels transiting the region and several major shipping companies reportedly rerouting or pausing transits altogether amid the rising risk.
Shortly before the US strikes began, the IRGC Navy declared it would keep the Strait of Hormuz closed to all shipping until the US ended its "illegal interventions" in the region, while vowing to strike US bases in response to "any further aggression."
Diplomatic pressure mounts: The US, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar had jointly demanded that Iran halt attacks on tankers after three ships were struck by projectiles earlier in the week, reflecting growing alarm among Gulf states over the risk of the conflict spiraling into a wider regional war. In its Saturday statement, the IRGC placed blame on the US for the "incidents," accusing Washington of "illegally designating" a shipping lane near the Omani coast that American forces have used to guide vessels safely through the strait.
A test for regional stability: The rapid succession of strikes and counterstrikes, now reaching into Jordan, Oman, Kuwait, and Bahrain, illustrates how quickly the confrontation has expanded beyond a bilateral US-Iran dispute into a broader regional security crisis. With Gulf states caught in the crossfire and global energy markets increasingly exposed, the coming days are likely to prove decisive in determining whether the June 17 ceasefire framework can be salvaged or whether the region is headed toward a more sustained and unpredictable conflict.