U.S. forces launched a new series of strikes against Iran late Tuesday night, just hours after President Donald Trump warned that Tehran would face increasingly severe attacks unless it returned to negotiations. U.S. Central Command said the seven-hour operation targeted dozens of military sites near the Strait of Hormuz and along Iran’s coastline. Fighter jets, […]

U.S. forces launched a new series of strikes against Iran late Tuesday night, just hours after President Donald Trump warned that Tehran would face increasingly severe attacks unless it returned to negotiations.

U.S. Central Command said the seven-hour operation targeted dozens of military sites near the Strait of Hormuz and along Iran’s coastline. Fighter jets, drones, and naval vessels were used to strike missile and drone facilities, naval assets, and coastal defense systems.

According to CENTCOM, the purpose of the operation was to further weaken Iran’s ability to threaten commercial vessels and the civilian crews traveling through the region. The strikes took place on the same day the United States resumed a naval blockade affecting ships traveling to and from Iranian ports and coastal areas.

In its statement, CENTCOM said U.S. forces remained alert and prepared to carry out additional operations ordered by the president. The command also released an unclassified video showing portions of the strikes.

The announcement came shortly after Trump appeared in an interview on Fox News and said the United States planned to hit Iran “very hard” over the next several nights. He suggested the campaign would continue expanding if Iranian leaders refused to negotiate.

Trump also raised the possibility that future strikes could target major infrastructure, including power plants and bridges. He said those attacks could begin the following week unless Iran returned to the negotiating table.

The president did not rule out the use of ground forces, particularly in connection with Kharg Island, a strategically important center of Iran’s oil industry. When asked whether he would consider a limited ground campaign, Trump said he would not exclude that option if military officials believed it was necessary.

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At the same time, he suggested that other forces could potentially carry out ground operations on behalf of the United States. Trump said American forces had already struck Kharg Island several times, though he claimed he had instructed the military to avoid damaging the island’s oil facilities.

“I said, hit everything but the oil,” Trump explained, indicating that the petroleum infrastructure had deliberately been left untouched.

The renewed military action followed the reimposition of a U.S. naval blockade that had previously ended on June 18. More than 20 warships and hundreds of military aircraft were reportedly positioned in the region to enforce the blockade and support ongoing operations.

The Western Journal