In brief
The U.S. Central Command reports a week of nightly air strikes on Iran, following the collapse of a ceasefire agreement. Iranian claims of oil tanker explosions in the Strait of Hormuz are denied by U.S. forces. While shipping traffic halts in the vital waterway, U.S. officials maintain that all attacks targeted military infrastructure. Iranian forces, in turn, assert retaliatory strikes on U.S. bases across the Gulf region. The conflict escalates risks for global oil markets and regional stability.
US launches seventh night of strikes on Iran
The U.S. military confirms that it has carried out its seventh consecutive night of air strikes on Iranian forces, following the lapse of a ceasefire that former President Donald Trump had stipulated in a temporary agreement.
“The strikes are designed to continue degrading Iranian military capabilities at the Commander in Chief’s direction,” Centcom stated, noting the directive comes directly from U.S. leadership.
Centcom all but dismissed Iranian Revolutionary Guards accusations that two oil tankers detonated in a mined stretch of the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. echoed that the claim was “false.”
Iranian media reported explosions in Yazd, Qeshm Island, and Bandar Abbas – the port nearest the strait. The state-run Fars agency said the tankers “exploded and caught fire.”
In a separate flare, Iran’s armed forces alleged attacks on U.S. facilities across Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan, and Syria, the latter an unprecedented claim. U.S. officials denied all but the military‑logistics targets in Iran and the safe‑passage of NATO allies through the region.
Commercial vessels have largely halted transit through the Strait of Hormuz, a key artery that carries about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas. The impasse threatens supply chains and raises tension for emergent sanctions and diplomatic negotiations.
The U.S. White House maintains that all strikes target military sites exclusively, citing protection of U.S. service members in the region. Seven Iranian civilians were reportedly killed during recent attacks on the Hormozgan bridge, whose damage was later confirmed by BBC Verify footage.
The sustained nights of assault exemplify the breakdown of peace talks and the escalation in the U.S.-Iran showdown.
