WASHINGTON — The United States has launched a fresh wave of strikes against Iran, completing a five-hour tactical mission that targeted critical military installations along the country’s southern coastline.
“U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) completed the latest wave of strikes against Iran at 10:15 p.m. ET on July 13,” the command said in a formal statement.
During the extensive operation, US forces employed precision-guided munitions to strike maritime capabilities, coastal defence systems, and missile and drone sites across key sectors including Bushehr, Chah Bahar, Jask, Konarak, Abu Musa, and Bandar Abbas, CENTCOM added.
This marked the third consecutive night of attacks ordered by US President Donald Trump, who declared that American forces are destroying Iran’s military assets related to the Strait of Hormuz.
“We’re attacking them tonight, and we’re taking out all of their capability for anything having to do with the Strait of Hormuz,” Trump told reporters at the White House.
Despite the escalation, Trump said a diplomatic deal with Tehran was still possible.
“Yeah, I think a deal is possible. Sure, I do,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
“We had a deal with them two days ago and then they said, ‘Oh we can’t make that deal. We have to negotiate it further.'”
The White House confirmed to AFP that Trump formally notified Congress last week that the US had resumed military conflict against Iran, giving the Pentagon an additional 60 days to operate in the region without immediate congressional approval.
