Washington, United States. The United States launched a new wave of strikes against Iranian coastal defence systems and missile sites on Wednesday after reimposing a naval blockade of Iranian ports, while Iran threatened to halt additional regional energy exports.
The daytime attacks were the latest escalation in hostilities over control of the Strait of Hormuz, which carried about one-fifth of global oil and gas shipments before the war.
U.S. military operation
U.S. Central Command said its forces began the strikes at 6 a.m. ET, or 1100 GMT, and that the operation was intended to further degrade Iranian military capabilities used to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
The command said it targeted coastal defence systems as well as cruise missile storage and launch sites on Iran’s Greater Tunb Island, completing the wave of strikes in about 90 minutes.
There were no immediate reports of the attacks in Iranian media. The operation followed seven hours of U.S. strikes on Tuesday, when the United States said it had hit dozens of military targets near the Strait of Hormuz and along Iranian coastal areas.
Iranian response
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said on Wednesday that it had struck U.S. military targets in the region, including in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan.
It also said the United States “must brace for the closure of all other export corridors that benefit the U.S. and its allies,” threatening further disruption to regional energy exports.
Escalating conflict
Hostilities have intensified since Iran said late on Saturday that it had closed the Strait of Hormuz. The United States said Iran had attacked seven commercial ships over the previous week, leaving nearly a dozen crew members dead, missing or injured.
The war began with U.S. and Israeli strikes against Iran on February 28 and prompted Iranian attacks on Gulf states hosting U.S. bases. The conflict has disrupted global energy supplies and raised concerns about a rise in inflation.
