Airstrikes on Iran Continue

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As Ed wrote earlier, President Trump has put the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz back in place. And the airstrikes against Iran are underway once again tonight. U.S. Central Command posted this announcement on X:

At 4:45 p.m. ET today, U.S. Central Command began launching the third consecutive night of strikes against Iran, at the Commander in Chief's direction. These strikes will continue imposing a heavy cost on Iranian forces and degrade their ability to attack innocent civilians and…
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) July 13, 2026

Earlier today, CentCom posted video showing the use of a sea-based drone during attacks last night.

Yesterday, using multiple one-way attack surface drones, CENTCOM forces successfully struck a submarine and ship maintenance facility in Iran. Three Corsair unmanned surface vessels hit the port at Bandar Abbas Naval Base, marking the first time American forces have employed sea… pic.twitter.com/bOM2kmgRxz
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) July 13, 2026

As mentioned, this is apparently the first time the U.S. has used such a drone.

Central Command identified the sea drones used in the attack on Sunday as Corsairs, a 24-foot-long unmanned boat built by the company Saronic Technologies. The Corsair was the same type of boat used to rescue the two-person crew from a U.S. Apache helicopter gunship that went down near the Strait of Hormuz last month. That was said to be the first U.S. rescue carried out by an autonomous surface vessel.
The Corsair can travel at speeds of up to 35 knots and can carry a load of up to 1,000 pounds more than 1,000 nautical miles.

Getting back to tonight's airstrikes, it appears bombs are dropping in Konarak.

🚨🇮🇷 BREAKING: Alleged footage shows U.S. airstrikes hitting Konarak in southeastern Iran.
-The video reportedly captures strikes on the coastal city in Sistan-Baluchestan province
-Konarak sits beside Chabahar on the Gulf of Oman, hosting naval and air facilities including a… https://t.co/lrwGfEqael pic.twitter.com/JaXVYYqGfg
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) July 13, 2026

Meanwhile, Iran is still threatening to avenge Khamenei.

Chants of “death to America” from Iranian hard-liners have been heard for decades, but in recent days, officials and clerics close to the government have escalated the rhetoric with threats against President Trump to avenge the killing of their country’s supreme leader...
The threats grew louder after a rare statement over the weekend from the leader’s son and successor, Mojtaba Khamenei.
“We pledge that we will avenge your pure blood and the blood of all those martyred in these two wars from the criminal and disgraced killers,” he said. “This revenge is the demand of our nation, and it must certainly be carried out.”...
A senior cleric close to Iran’s government, Ayatollah Mohsen Araki, issued a “call for revenge” against Mr. Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel.

Things may be about to kick off between Yemen and Saudi Arabia as well.

A four-year truce between Saudi Arabia and the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen was in peril on Monday as each party accused the other of launching an attack...
The Houthis accused Saudi Arabia of bombing Yemen’s main international airport on Monday. That attack appeared to be an attempt to prevent an Iranian plane from landing in the Houthi-controlled capital of Yemen, Sana. The Saudi government did not comment on the Houthis’ claims.
After the bombing, the Houthis fired ballistic missiles toward Saudi Arabia, a Saudi military coalition said. The coalition statement said that Saudi air defenses had “dealt with” that threat.

Axios is reporting that Trump offered MBS his support for these strikes:

President Trump gave Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS) his support for a highly unusual military action against the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, according to two U.S. officials...
On Thursday, the Saudi ambassador to Washington met with Secretary of State Marco Rubio. A day later Rubio spoke to Saudi foreign minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan.
Shortly after on Friday, President Trump spoke by phone with the Saudi crown prince, per a U.S. official. MBS asked Trump for his backing for a military action against the Houthis and received it, the official said.

I'm not sure what the Iranian plan is here beyond the one they have been pursuing since March, which is to seize control of the Strait of Hormuz and dare Trump to stop them. How does that help Iran? In the short term it doesn't but the are savvy enough to know high gas prices won't be popular during the midterms. Iran is effectively campaigning for the Democrats in the coming election and, if they retake the House and Senate, Democrats will repay the favor by stopping the war.

Editor's Note: For decades, former presidents have been all talk and no action. Now, Donald Trump is eliminating the threat from Iran once and for all.

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