The US military formally announced that it struck Iranian military targets in the Strait of Hormuz, according to an official statement. No additional details on the targets or the timing of the operation were immediately released.
The US military formally confirmed strikes on Iranian targets in the Strait of Hormuz in a statement issued at 23:32 Jerusalem on Wednesday night, the latest official acknowledgement of the ongoing operation. The announcement comes after CENTCOM had already confirmed, at 22:44 Jerusalem, that it had begun additional precision strikes across Iran to protect freedom of navigation in the strategic waterway, with President Trump threatening further action.
The thread of reporting on Wednesday night evolved rapidly. At 22:44 Jerusalem, The Zioneer first reported unconfirmed explosions in additional locations, followed minutes later by official confirmations of a new wave of airstrikes and then more detailed announcements from CENTCOM citing the protection of commercial shipping. The confirmations specified that the strikes targeted IRGC naval infrastructure, including a base in Bandar Abbas. This escalation follows a prior wave of US strikes on 10 Iranian targets near the Strait of Hormuz on June 28, as The Zioneer reported at 15:30 Jerusalem, and a broader US campaign that began in early June, as indicated in background reporting.
As The Zioneer has reported throughout the campaign, the US has repeatedly stated that the operations are aimed at securing freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint for global oil shipments, and countering Iranian aggression against commercial shipping. The current confirmation does not specify whether the strikes are a new operation or a follow-up to the ones already announced earlier tonight.
The specific targets, the timing of the operation, and the extent of damage remain undisclosed. It is not yet clear how Iran will respond to the latest strikes, given its previous threats to block the waterway and its retaliatory actions following earlier US operations.
18 developments
Source and signal
- Internal intake