Breaking News: US Strikes Iran Amid Rising Tensions
President Donald Trump announced that recent US military strikes have hit Iran “very hard” in response to the deaths of three US soldiers in Jordan and Iraq. The strikes began early Monday local time and are part of a “new wave” of attacks by the US Central Command (Centcom), continuing for the ninth night in a row.
The US targeted military sites and communications networks to reduce Iran’s threats to vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. In retaliation, Iran claimed to have conducted a “surprise attack” in Syria and targeted US aircraft at Jordan’s Aqaba airport.
Kuwait’s armed forces reported intercepting Iranian drones during the ongoing conflict. Iranian state media indicated that several cities, including Tabriz and Chabahar, were hit, and two oil tankers reportedly exploded while attempting to cross the strait.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) warned that the Strait of Hormuz would remain unsafe for oil and gas transit as long as US strikes continue, promising a “punitive operation” in response.
The situation escalated over the weekend with the confirmation of a US service member’s death from an Iranian attack in northern Iraq. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the US remains open to diplomatic solutions.
