Iranians walk near a banner of late Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran, Iran, on Sunday. The conflicts between Iran and the USA over the Strait of Hormuz continue, as US strikes have targeted several locations across southern Iran. Photo by Abedin Taherkenareh/EPA
The U.S. military struck Iran for a ninth consecutive night on Sunday as the war over the Strait of Hormuz showed no sign of abating.
U.S. Central Command said in a statement that it completed its latest wave of attacks “to further diminish Iran’s ability to attack commercial vessels and civilian mariners transiting the Strait of Hormuz” at 10 p.m. EDT. Targets included Iranian military command centers, maritime capabilities and communications networks, as well as missile and drone launch sites and air defense and coastal surveillance sites, it said.
Explosions were reported in Bandar-e Mahshahr and Bandar Imam Khomeini, in Khuzestan province, by state-run Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting .
“The U.S. military is holding Iran accountable at the Commander in Chief’s direction,” CENTCOM said.
As CENTCOM announced the start of the attacks, the UK Maritime Trade Operations Center said an unspecified vessel was on fire about 8 nautical miles northwest of Kumzar, Oman, in the Strait of Hormuz. The cause was not immediately known, it said, stating it had been informed of the fire by “military authorities.”
Meanwhile, the Kuwait Army said its air defenses were confronting Iranian drones. Bahrain’s Ministry of the Interior announced sirens were blaring while urging residents to remain calm and find shelter.
The U.S. Embassy in Bahrain’s capital of Manama issued a statement early Monday local time stating it “has information to suggest that Iran may seek to target unspecified locations in central Manama.”
“We urge all Americans to remain vigilant, follow local authorities’ instructions and review the latest guidance from the U.S. Embassy,” it said.
The attacks came after the U.S. military earlier Sunday announced the death of a U.S. service member, the third to be killed since fighting resumed nearly two weeks ago and the 17th killed since the war began late February.
While the United States began the war seeking to eliminate what it described as Iran’s nuclear weapons ambitions and encourage Iranians to overthrow their government, the latest phase of the conflict has centered on the Strait of Hormuz, a vital energy transportation route.
The United States says it is fighting to restore the prewar freedom of navigation through the chokepoint, while Iran claims authority to determine which vessels may transit the waterway.
The two sides agreed to a fragile cease-fire in April and later signed an agreement intended to lay the groundwork for ending the war. But they remained divided over its terms: Iran claimed that the agreement recognized its control over the strait, while the United States maintained that it required a return to the prewar status quo. The cease-fire fell apart early this month after three vessels transiting the strait were attacked. The United States blamed Iran and retaliated with strikes against Iranian targets.
