US strikes Iran for ninth night as Hormuz tensions soar
Photo: REUTERS
US launched strikes against Iran for the ninth night in a row on Monday, as explosions rocked several cities including Sirik, Jask, Tabriz, and Chabahar.
The latest escalation follows the death of a third American soldier in recent days and the collapse of a month-old ceasefire between Washington and Tehran over control of the Strait of Hormuz.
In an official statement, US military said the operations targeted specific assets to weaken Iranian forces. The military added that the latest strikes were aimed at “degrading Iranian military capabilities used to attack commercial vessels and mariners transiting the Strait of Hormuz.”
Iranian state broadcaster IRIB reported that blasts occurred in the southwestern port cities of Mahshahr and Imam Khomeini in Khuzestan province. Additional explosions were noted near Sirik and Jask in the Hormozgan province and Khvormuj in Bushehr.
Meanwhile, the semi-official Fars news agency reported that air defense systems were activated in the southeastern cities of Konarak and Chabahar, while three explosions were heard near the northwestern city of Tabriz.
The conflict has also impacted neighboring countries. Kuwait reported facing “hostile drone threats,” and a desalination plant there caught fire after a second consecutive day of attacks, which the government termed a strike on civilian infrastructure.
Jordan’s military announced it intercepted three Iranian missiles, while air raid sirens blared in Bahrain on Sunday.
Both nations have targeted maritime traffic as part of the struggle. Washington is currently enforcing a naval blockade on Iranian ports, while Tehran claims it is intercepting vessels that violate navigation rules in the Strait of Hormuz.
On Sunday, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said four vessels, backed by the US, attempted to use an “unsafe route” while ignoring warnings. The IRGC reported that two ships abandoned the attempt, while the remaining two were involved in an “accident,” though they provided no further details.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) reported it had redirected six commercial ships and disabled another to ensure “full compliance” with its blockade.
CENTCOM also confirmed the death of an American soldier in northern Iraq on Saturday during a “controlled detonation” of ordnance from a downed Iranian drone. Officials are conducting an examination to verify “unidentified remains” discovered at the site of an Iranian attack in Jordan on Friday.
Since the conflict began on 28 February following an attack on Iran by the US and Israel, 17 US service members have died and over 420 have been injured. The war has claimed thousands of lives, primarily in Iran and Lebanon, causing significant global inflation and massive disruptions to energy supplies.
Source: Al Jazeera (adapted)
