ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - American forces completed the thirteenth consecutive night of strikes against Iran on Friday, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) reported, adding that its forces have also blocked more than a dozen ships from entering Iranian waters since Washington resumed its naval blockade on Iran last week.
CENTCOM forces “successfully completed a 13th straight night of strikes against Iran” on Friday, the Command said in a statement, adding that targets included "military command centers, drone storage facilities, communication networks, coastal surveillance sites, and maritime capabilities.”
The strikes aim to "further diminish the threat Iran poses to civilian mariners and commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz," CENTCOM said, adding that the waterway "remains open for transit despite recent attacks by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps [IRGC].”
“Commercial vessels continue to freely navigate the Strait with U.S. military support,” the statement noted, adding that “more than 50,000 U.S. service members are currently operating across the Middle East.”
In a previous statement, CENTCOM said that since resuming its naval blockade against Iran nine days ago, its forces have “redirected 12 commercial vessels and disabled one to prevent ships from entering or leaving Iranian ports and coastal areas.”
The latest round of escalation between Iran and the US began on July 8 and entered its seventeenth day on Friday, with Tehran threatening regional infrastructure and oil flows if Iranian facilities are targeted or Iran is barred from exporting oil.
The escalatory rhetoric followed vows by US President Donald Trump to strike a bridge and power plant for every vessel Iran's military attacks in the Strait of Hormuz, along with threats to "absolutely attack" a new nuclear facility Iran is allegedly building in central Isfahan province.
The military operations continue despite the two sides having agreed to the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding in mid-June, which established a ceasefire on all fronts and reopened the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping.
Both sides also committed to holding talks toward a comprehensive settlement within 60 days, with room to extend by mutual consent. The ongoing escalation, however, suggests a near-term return to the negotiating table is unlikely.
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