The fighting between the United States and Iran took another dangerous turn early Thursday. American forces launched fresh strikes on Iran’s coastal defence systems and missile sites, while Tehran said it had answered by attacking US military positions in several Gulf countries.
The latest escalation comes days after a fragile truce collapsed, raising the specter of a return to full-scale war, with Iran once again threatening to shut off more regional energy exports after blocking the vital Strait of Hormuz .
If any Gulf country allows the US to use its land or military bases to attack Iran, Iran will target our country as well. Iran has declared the Strait of Hormuz its ‘red line’, saying that military pressure on the strategic waterway cannot be controlled. The Iranian military also said that if the US attacks, it will not consider war through force. Soon after those warnings, Iran claimed it had launched attacks on US military facilities in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan.
Brent crude oil, the international benchmark, closed at a one-month high of $84.95 a barrel on Wednesday.
US Central Command said the military had attacked coastal defence systems and cruise missile storage and launch sites on Iran’s Greater Tunb Island starting around 6am EDT, then launched a second wave of strikes against multiple cities nine hours later.
“US forces struck Iranian command centres, air defence sites, missile and drone capabilities, and coastal surveillance facilities,” it said in a statement, adding it also hit targets in Bandar Abbas, home to Iran’s largest port and key navy and Iran’s Revolutionary Guards facilities on the Strait of Hormuz.
“Earlier this morning, American forces struck coastal defence and cruise missile sites on Greater Tunb Island during a 90-minute wave,” the US military added.
The US military also said it disabled an unladen oil tanker attempting to sail toward Iran’s Kharg Island after it ignored multiple warnings, firing Hellfire missiles into the ship’s smokestack. Since resuming a naval blockade against Iran on Tuesday, the US has redirected two ships and disabled another, the military said.
Iranian news media reported a series of explosions, mainly in coastal areas such as Bandar Abbas. Other explosions or projectile strikes were reported around the city of Ahvaz, just inland from the northern end of the Gulf, and Konarak, Sirik and Qeshm in southern Iran.
Iran has rapidly scaled up its military operations in the wake of recent US attacks. In response to the attack on a merchant ship in the Strait of Hormuz, US forces have launched strikes on Iran’s southern coast, missile sites, radars and IRGC vessels. Iran has responded by targeting US bases in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan. Iranian leaders have called it a “war of existence” and threatened that any US attack will be met with a “crushing” and increasingly swift response.
Iran’s focus is now on asserting its control over the Strait of Hormuz. It has announced its designated safe passage and said that anyone trying to bypass the IRGC’s coordination will find it difficult to get through. Militarily, they are quickly covering up their shortcomings, improving their decentralized command system and ensuring that future strikes will not break the poor network. Air defense and anti-ship missile capabilities are also being rapidly reorganized.
Overall, Iran is pursuing a strategy of maintaining deterrence and creating disproportionate pressure. Leaders say that the “era of aggression is over” and they are ready to confront any new aggression. The situation remains highly tense and threats from both sides continue.