US Central Command stated its goal is to 'exact a heavy price' for attacks against civilian merchant ships, according to an official announcement. Iranian opposition sources also published a photo from Sirik port showing damage from the American strike.
Shortly after 00:05 Jerusalem on Wednesday, US Central Command (CENTCOM) issued an official statement declaring its goal to 'exact a heavy price' for attacks against civilian merchant ships, as a rapid sequence of unverified reports of American airstrikes on the Iranian port of Sirik unfolded. The statement did not name specific perpetrators. Earlier, at 00:05 Jerusalem, The Zioneer reported the initial explosions near Sirik, followed by reports attributing the blasts to US airstrikes targeting an IRGC naval base. By 00:25 Jerusalem, a US official described the strikes as 'serious' (as The Zioneer reported concurrently). Iranian opposition sources also published a photo from Sirik port showing damage from the strike, though its authenticity has not been independently verified.
The Zioneer's reporting on the Sirik strikes began at 00:05 Jerusalem with initial reports of explosions (version 6), followed by reports of US airstrikes on Sirik Island and Bandar Abbas (version 5). Within minutes, the desk reported that at least eight explosions were heard (versions 8, 9), then that ten airstrikes had struck (version 10), and that the target was an IRGC naval base (version 11). By 00:05 Jerusalem, reports indicated that IRGC ships were set ablaze (version 12), and opposition sources released a photo of damage (version 13). The source quality evolved from initial single sources to multiple Iranian media and then to security analyst Yair Goldblatt and opposition sources, but all reports remain unverified by independent sources.
The strikes are part of a broader US campaign against Iranian military infrastructure near the Strait of Hormuz. As The Zioneer reported on June 26, CENTCOM had previously targeted missile and drone sites near Sirik after a suicide drone strike on a commercial vessel. On June 11, the desk reported a strike on a petrochemical plant and a fire at the IRGC Navy base in Sirik. Iranian state media have accused the US of war crimes, alleging deliberate strikes on water reservoirs serving villages in the Sirik area (The Zioneer, June 14). A US official told The Zioneer earlier tonight that the current wave of airstrikes on Sirik and Bandar Abbas is 'serious'.
The authenticity of the photo from Sirik port has not been independently verified. The specific perpetrators of the attacks on civilian ships that CENTCOM cited remain unnamed. The extent of damage and any casualties from the strikes are still unclear. There has been no immediate comment from Iranian authorities.
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