The renewed hostilities have prompted the United Nations to call for an immediate halt to military action and a return to negotiations….reports Asian Lite News Desk
The United States launched a fresh wave of military strikes against Iran on Sunday after accusing Iranian forces of attacking commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, further escalating tensions despite a fragile ceasefire between the two countries.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the operation began at 5 p.m. Eastern Time and was aimed at reducing Iran’s ability to threaten civilian maritime traffic passing through one of the world’s busiest shipping routes.
“At 5 p.m. ET today, US Central Command forces began launching more strikes against Iran to continue degrading their ability to attack civilian mariners and commercial ships freely transiting the Strait of Hormuz,” CENTCOM said.
“The Commander in Chief has directed the strikes to hold Iranian forces accountable,” it added.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the latest operation marked the third wave of American strikes against Iranian targets within 24 hours. Citing a senior US official, the newspaper reported that the attacks focused on military positions near the Strait of Hormuz and along Iran’s southern coastline.
Around the same time, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) fired at civilian vessels travelling through the strategic waterway, according to CENTCOM spokesman Capt. Tim Hawkins.
Hawkins said US aircraft intercepted and destroyed an Iranian cruise missile and a one-way attack drone. According to CNN and The New York Times, he said the military action was intended to respond directly to attacks on commercial shipping.
“We’re holding Iran accountable,” Hawkins told The New York Times.
Iranian state media reported explosions in the southern Hormozgan province, including in Jask, Qeshm, Bandar Abbas and Sirik. According to CNN, there were no immediate reports of civilian casualties or damage to residential or commercial infrastructure.
The latest strikes followed earlier US attacks on Sunday targeting Iranian missile systems, air-defence installations and small IRGC boats operating around the Strait of Hormuz. The Wall Street Journal reported that US forces struck about 140 Iranian military targets overnight, while Fox News said more than 300 targets had been hit over the previous three nights.
Iran responded over the weekend with attacks targeting US-linked facilities and neighbouring countries.
Kuwaiti authorities said three military posts near the country’s northern border sustained material damage. An offshore drilling platform operated by the Kuwait Oil Company was also hit by a drone, injuring one worker.
Iran claimed it had targeted US High Mobility Artillery Rocket System launchers in Kuwait. CENTCOM, however, rejected reports that American personnel had been killed.
“There are zero reports of US service member deaths or injuries in the region,” the command said.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed deep concern over the renewed military exchanges, including Iranian attacks on commercial shipping, US strikes on Iranian territory and Iranian attacks on neighbouring countries.
“These attacks must all stop,” Guterres said.
He warned that a return to full-scale conflict would have “catastrophic consequences” for the region, international security and the global economy, and urged both Washington and Tehran to “urgently resume negotiations”.
