US launches daily airstrikes on Iran amid renewed Strait of Hormuz crisis | Today’s news
The United States has launched a new round of airstrikes against Iran, this time with daylight strikes, signaling an escalation in its military campaign as tensions continue to rise over the Strait of Hormuz.
According to Associated Press (AP), The US military’s Central Command confirmed on Wednesday that the new strikes had begun, marking a shift from previous operations that were carried out only at night.
“The strikes are designed to further reduce the military capabilities that Iranian forces have used to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz,” the central command said in a statement.
The renewed attacks come after an interim deal between Washington and Tehran effectively collapsed. The US also renewed a naval blockade of Iran after accusing Tehran of attacking vessels attempting to pass through the strategic waterway.
Iranian officials said one of the attacks targeted a barracks belonging to the 388th Mechanized Infantry Brigade in Sistan and Baluchistan province. State television said at least 13 rockets hit the site, killing seven soldiers, including conscripts and career personnel, while several others were wounded.
Read also | Madan Mitra quits Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress
Government spokesman Fatemeh Mohajerani said more than 30 people had been killed in recent days US strikes. Health Ministry spokesman Hossein Kermanpour added that over 260 people were injured in the overnight attacks alone, although he did not give an updated death toll. Iran’s military has promised what it described as a “decisive response” to the latest US strikes.
Meanwhile, Iran continued to fire missiles and drones at US allies in the Persian Gulf. Missile alarms were sounded in Bahrain and Kuwait, while Jordan said it had intercepted three incoming Iranian missiles. Tehran has claimed responsibility for attacks targeting all three countries, each of which hosts US military forces. The head of US Central Command, Admiral Brad Cooper, said that Iran had fired dozens of missiles and drones at neighboring Gulf states in recent days.
president of the usa Donald Trump has warned that further US strikes could follow if talks fail to resume. In an interview with Fox News, Trump said bridges and energy infrastructure could become future targets, adding: “You better make a deal or you’re going to be left with nothing.”
Iranian Ambassador to United Nations Amir Saeid Iravani condemned the US military action, saying Washington was “the aggressor, not the victim”. According to the AP agency, the Strait of Hormuz remains the focal point of the flare-up of the conflict. About one-fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas trade passes through the narrow waterway under normal conditions.
Iran effectively closed the strait after the conflict began earlier this year, disrupting global shipping and raising oil prices. Although an interim agreement briefly allowed limited commercial movement through an alternative US-monitored route near Oman, renewed attacks on vessels led to a new military confrontation.
Read also | IBM’s worst collapse since 1968 has rocked Indian IT stocks. Here is what happenedRead also | US-Iran War LIVE Update: CENTCOM Says It Is Resuming Daylight Strikes on Iran
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have warned that if the US blockade continues, energy exports from the entire Middle East could be halted.
“Exporting oil and gas from the region will be either for everyone or for no one,” the force said.
Brent crude traded above $85 a barrel on Wednesday, reflecting continued concerns about disruptions to global energy supplies. Regional mediators continue to try to bring the two countries back to the negotiating table, although prospects for renewed diplomacy remain uncertain.
