U.S. forces began a new wave of strikes against Iranian military targets at 5:30 p.m. ET Wednesday, “at the Commander in Chief’s direction,” according to a statement from U.S. Central Command posted on X. The statement said the mission would continue to “further degrade Iran’s ability to threaten civilian mariners and commercial vessels transiting regional waters.”
The strikes follow the eleventh consecutive night of U.S. attacks on Iranian sites, which targeted military command centers, air defense systems, and maritime capabilities, according to a statement cited by NewsNation. Iran’s Fars news agency reported that strikes also hit a site near Tabriz in northwestern Iran, with explosions reported in Tehran, a departure from the pattern of recent nights, which had focused on southern Iran and the Strait of Hormuz.
In retaliation, Iran’s military said it struck U.S.-linked sites in Kuwait, Jordan, and Bahrain, according to Al Jazeera. Iran also attacked a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, forcing its crew to abandon ship, according to British maritime authorities cited by NewsNation.
The renewed strikes came as diplomatic efforts showed little sign of progress. Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni visited Pakistan, one of the conflict’s mediators, for talks aimed at reviving a collapsed ceasefire framework. However, the visit was overshadowed by the latest exchange of attacks, according to NPR.
