ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - US Central Command (CENTCOM) said Monday it conducted airstrikes against several strategic locations in southern Iran, employing one-way attack sea drones for the first time amid renewed hostilities between the US and Iran, as Gulf states were targeted by the Iranian forces.
This is the latest flare up between Tehran and Washington over the past week during which several round of strikes have been carried out by the US, prompting Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its regular army to target US bases in the Gulf region.
In a statement on X, CENTCOM said its forces conducted offensive strikes against Iran, “hitting dozens of targets at multiple locations with precision munitions to degrade Iran’s ability to continue attacking international shipping flowing through the Strait of Hormuz.”
The command noted that it targeted “Iranian military air-defense systems, coastal radar sites, missile and drone capabilities, and small boats using U.S. fighter aircraft, naval vessels, one-way attack aerial drones, and one-way attack sea drones for the first time.”
The development comes as Iran and the US have been locked in an escalation marked by intermittent exchanges since Tuesday in the Strait of Hormuz. The renewed hostilities have further undermined diplomatic efforts led by regional mediators, with uncertainty growing over whether planned negotiations between Washington and Tehran will resume.
Meanwhile, IRGC said Monday they had targeted the US interests and military bases in Jordan, Bahrain and Kuwait, according to state media.
The official news agency IRNA cited several statements released by the Guards saying they had attacked Prince Hassan Air Base in Jordan, a US military drone command centre in Bahrain and airbases including Ali al-Salem in Kuwait.
It also declared earlier that "the Strait of Hormuz will be closed until further notice and until the end of American interventions in this region."
However, CENTCOM said in its statement on Monday that “the Strait of Hormuz is a vital maritime corridor for global trade. Iran does not control it.”
Late Sunday, CENTCOM said it struck nearly 140 Iranian military targets following an attack by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on a Cyprus-flagged commercial vessel transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
According to CENTCOM, US forces have facilitated the transit of more than 800 ships carrying over 400 million barrels of crude oil through the strait over the past two months. More than 140 vessels have passed through the waterway in the last seven days alone.
The Strait of Hormuz, through which about one-fifth of the world's crude oil and liquefied natural gas exports pass, has been the focal point of the renewed conflict between Washington and Tehran.
US president Donald Trump told reporters on Wednesday that the ceasefire between Washington and Tehran is over, raising fears of renewed escalation in the region.
The United States and Israel launched a large-scale military campaign against Iran on February 28, targeting nuclear facilities, military sites, and senior commanders. The six-week conflict ended with a ceasefire on April 8, followed by a 60-day memorandum of understanding signed on June 17 to resume talks on Iran's nuclear program and regional security.
