The United States dramatically intensified its military campaign against Iran overnight, launching a new wave of strikes targeting military infrastructure after Iranian forces continued threatening freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. Central Command said the operation was intended to further weaken Iran’s ability to attack civilian mariners and commercial shipping in one of the world’s most critical waterways.

According to U.S. Central Command, American forces began carrying out coordinated strikes late Sunday night against military targets across Iran in response to Tehran’s ongoing efforts to disrupt maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.

For the first time in the current conflict, U.S. forces targeted Iranian air defense systems, coastal radar installations, missile and drone capabilities, and fleets of small attack boats. The operation involved American fighter jets, U.S. Navy warships, one-way attack drones, and unmanned naval vessels.

Iranian media reported a series of explosions overnight, including in the strategic port city of Bandar Abbas, which overlooks the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. Central Command said President Donald Trump personally authorized the operation to punish Iranian forces for interfering with international shipping through the vital waterway.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed it retaliated by launching missiles and drones at Prince Hassan Air Base in Jordan, asserting that fuel depots and ammunition storage facilities were set ablaze. Iranian officials described the attack as the opening phase of their response to American strikes on military facilities along Iran’s southern coastline.

Air raid sirens also sounded in Bahrain early Monday after another suspected Iranian attack was detected.

The latest exchange of attacks has disrupted commercial aviation across the Gulf region. Dubai International Airport reported widespread delays on major international routes, with hundreds of flights delayed and dozens canceled.

A CENTCOM spokesman told CNN that, before the American strikes commenced, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard once again fired on a merchant vessel transiting the Strait of Hormuz. The spokesman said U.S. military aircraft successfully intercepted and destroyed an Iranian cruise missile as well as an attack drone.

In a statement, U.S. Central Command said the latest operation was designed to “continue degrading Iran’s ability to attack civilian mariners and commercial vessels freely transiting the Strait of Hormuz.”

Iranian media reported one fatality and four injuries following an American strike on a water pumping station in the country’s southwest. Additional explosions were reported in Ahvaz, Mahshahr, and near Bushehr.

Before the latest American offensive, Israeli officials had assessed that Iran was unlikely to attack Israel directly out of concern that doing so would trigger a far broader regional war. An Israeli official warned, however, that any Iranian attack on Israeli civilians or targets could rapidly alter the situation.

Following the U.S. strikes, Iran warned Gulf nations that any country serving as a launching point for attacks against Iran would become “a legitimate target.” Iran’s Foreign Ministry declared, “Iran will defend its sovereignty against American military aggression and against any other aggressor. The source of attacks against Iran will become a legitimate target within the framework of the defensive operations of our armed forces.”

Tehran also strongly condemned the latest U.S. military action, accusing Washington of sabotaging months of diplomatic efforts aimed at reducing regional tensions, according to a statement issued by Iran’s Foreign Ministry.

An American official also disclosed overnight that approximately 20 commercial vessels safely transited the Strait of Hormuz during the past 24 hours under coordination with the U.S. military. The official added that several other ships crossed the strategic waterway without coordinating with Washington, according to Axios.

{Matzav.com}