President Donald Trump says the latest US strikes hit Iran “very hard.” He added that the attacks were “in honour” of three US soldiers killed recently. The military action is in addition to the escalation after American forces came under deadly fire in Jordan and Iraq.
Donald Trump talks about US striking Iran
Donald Trump shared the above information as US Central Command confirmed a “new wave” of strikes. This happened for the ninth consecutive night. Explosions were reported across multiple Iranian cities, including Tabriz, Chabahar, Konarak, Bandar Mahshahr, and Bandar Imam Khomeini, according to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency.
Centcom said it targeted military sites and communications networks to “further diminish” Tehran’s ability to attack vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. The strategic waterway has become a flashpoint, with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps declaring it “will not be safe for the transit of petrochemical products, nor even a single drop of oil and gas” as long as US strikes continue. The IRGC also warned of a “punitive operation” in response.
The chain of events began over the weekend. On Friday, an Iranian attack on a base in Jordan killed two US soldiers, with another reported missing. The US later said “unidentified remains” had been found and verification was ongoing. A day later, a service member died after an Iranian strike in northern Iraq. Trump linked the retaliatory US strikes on Iran directly to these casualties, framing the operation as a tribute to the fallen troops.
Iran said it responded with a “surprise attack” in Syria, targeting US aircraft at Jordan’s Aqaba airport. Meanwhile, Iranian state media reported two oil tankers had exploded while crossing the Strait of Hormuz. The IRGC claimed the vessels were travelling through an “unsafe and hazardous southern route” and “exploded and were brought to a halt.” However, Centcom challenged those claims.
As strikes intensified, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington “always remains open to a diplomatic solution.”
(Source: BBC)
Originally reported by Devanshi Basu on Mandatory.
