A senior Pentagon official told Fox News that the US struck targets near the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday because Iran had rebuilt air defense and missile systems there since the end of the US bombing campaign on April 7. The official said the strikes hit areas including Qeshm Island and Sirik, previously targeted during the earlier campaign.
A senior Pentagon official told Fox News late Saturday that Sunday's US strikes against Iranian military positions near the Strait of Hormuz were driven by Iran's rebuilding of air defense and missile systems since the previous American bombing campaign ended on April 7. The official said that the US military struck areas it had already hit several times since late February, including Qeshm Island and Sirik, because Iran had redeployed those defensive capabilities after the ceasefire. Sunday's confirmed strikes follow a sustained campaign: at 00:17 Sunday, The Zioneer reported the US had struck 10 Iranian targets for a second night, including newly-built surveillance and drone storage sites. By that time, the thread had evolved from initial unverified reports of five strikes near Sirik on June 26 to official CENTCOM confirmations of multiple waves by late Saturday. The Pentagon official's on-record attribution to a named channel marks the first time Washington has explicitly cited the April ceasefire as a trigger for renewed strikes, providing a more detailed justification than earlier general statements about freedom of navigation.
17 developments
- DevelopingAmerican official: Iran rebuilt defense capabilities near Strait of Hormuz since April ceasefire
- DevelopingUS reportedly strikes Iranian military targets on Qeshm Island, Strait of Hormuz
- DevelopingRegional assessment: US strikes continue near Strait of Hormuz, Iran retaliates against Gulf bases
- StrongUS military announces new wave of strikes against Iranian forces in Strait of Hormuz
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