- The United States has launched a “heavy wave” of attacks against Iran after a five-night pause in strikes, following Iranian missile attacks on US forces a day earlier.
- The US military’s Central Command (CENTCOM) said it had successfully completed a heavy wave of strikes against Iran as of 10pm ET on Wednesday (02:00 GMT on Thursday).
- Iranian media reported at least three civilians were killed in the latest US strikes.
- CENTCOM claimed its strikes hit dozens of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targets, including military command centres, missile and drone facilities, coastal surveillance and defence sites, and maritime capabilities.
- The attacks came hours after US President Donald Trump promised to hit Iran “very hard”.
- Reporting on the casualties from the US attacks, Iranian media said that a couple and their two-year-old child were killed when the residential building they were in was struck on Qeshm island.
- The US is eager to end Iran’s control of the Strait of Hormuz, through which a large percentage of global oil shipping passes.
- The US Treasury Department announced new sanctions on Wednesday on two Iranian firms it said are integral to an IRGC-backed “scheme” that forces commercial vessels to buy insurance to transit Hormuz.
- Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated, “The United States will not allow Iran to hold global commerce hostage or use international shipping to finance the IRGC’s terrorism, aggression, and repression”.
- CENTCOM claimed the latest strikes aimed to “further diminish threats posed by Iran and its proxies to American forces, commercial shipping, and neighboring Gulf nations”.
The U.S. military's Central Command (CENTCOM) reported the completion of a significant wave of strikes against Iran, targeting IRGC facilities and civilian areas. The attacks, which followed a five-night pause, were a response to Iranian missile strikes on U.S. forces.
Iranian media reported that at least three civilians, including a couple and their two-year-old child, were killed when their residential building on Qeshm island was struck.6
"The United States will not allow Iran to hold global commerce hostage or use international shipping to finance the IRGC's terrorism, aggression, and repression," stated Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, as the U.S. also announced new sanctions on two Iranian firms linked to an IRGC-backed scheme affecting commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.789
The U.S. aims to diminish threats posed by Iran and its proxies to American forces and commercial shipping, as tensions rise in the region. The strikes targeted military command centers, missile and drone facilities, and coastal defense sites, according to CENTCOM.
President Donald Trump had previously promised to hit Iran "very hard," indicating a shift in U.S. military strategy in the region. The U.S. is particularly focused on curtailing Iran's influence over the Strait of Hormuz, a critical passage for global oil shipping.5
“The U.S. military's Central Command reported that the strikes targeted dozens of IRGC sites, including military command centers and missile facilities. Iranian media reported at least three civilian casualties, including a couple and their two-year-old child, raising concerns over the impact of the attacks.”
