US Launches Fresh Strikes on Iran as Tensions Escalate in Strait of Hormuz

Washington, July 2026 : The United States military launched a fresh round of strikes against Iran on Thursday (Indian time), targeting military assets that Washington says posed a threat to commercial shipping in the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, further intensifying the ongoing confrontation between the two countries.

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed that American forces carried out a second wave of military operations at 3 p.m. Eastern Time (1900 GMT) on Wednesday.

“At 3 p.m. ET, U.S. forces launched operations for a second wave of strikes today against Iran,” CENTCOM said in a post on X. “The strikes are targeting Iranian military capabilities used to threaten vessels freely transiting through the Strait of Hormuz.”

The latest attacks followed an earlier wave of precision strikes launched at 6 a.m. Eastern Time (1000 GMT) on Wednesday. According to CENTCOM, the 90-minute operation focused on Iranian coastal defence infrastructure, including cruise missile storage facilities, launch sites and defensive positions located on Greater Tunb Island, one of the strategically important islands near the Strait of Hormuz.

The United States has maintained that the operations are intended to safeguard international maritime traffic through the narrow waterway, one of the world’s most critical oil shipping routes, amid rising regional tensions.

The military action comes as hostilities between Washington and Tehran continue to escalate following a series of reciprocal attacks over recent days.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed it had retaliated by launching strikes against US military facilities in Jordan and Bahrain, targeting what it described as key American military infrastructure.

According to statements released by the IRGC and carried by Iran’s official Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), its Aerospace Force attacked the US military base at al-Azraq in Jordan, claiming to have struck aircraft shelters housing F-15, F-16 and F-35 fighter jets, along with several MQ-9 strategic drones. The IRGC alleged that the operation caused significant damage to the base and was carried out in response to what it termed renewed US aggression against Iran.

The Iranian military further asserted that several American attacks against Iranian territory had been launched from bases located in Jordan. It urged the Jordanian public to oppose the continued presence of US forces in the country and prevent Jordanian territory from being used as a staging ground for military operations against Iran and other nations in the region.

In a separate statement, the IRGC claimed responsibility for attacks on facilities linked to the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain. According to the statement, the targets included a naval support management centre, military equipment warehouses, command-and-control facilities and fuel storage installations. Iran described the strikes as retaliation for the US naval deployment in the Indian Ocean and Washington’s efforts to restrict maritime movement near the Strait of Hormuz.

The latest escalation follows US military operations conducted on Tuesday after Washington resumed a naval blockade around Iranian ports connected to the Strait of Hormuz. The US military had announced that it carried out a seven-hour operation targeting dozens of Iranian military sites, including missile launch positions, drone facilities, naval assets and coastal defence systems.

The rapidly deteriorating security situation has heightened concerns over stability in the Gulf region, with the Strait of Hormuz remaining a critical chokepoint through which a substantial portion of the world’s oil exports passes. Continued military exchanges between the United States and Iran have raised fears of broader regional instability and potential disruptions to global energy supplies.

(The content of this article is sourced from a news agency and has not been edited by the Mavericknews30 team.)