U.S. forces launched a fresh round of strikes against Iran on Monday, targeting military sites that officials say have been used to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
U.S. Central Command said the five-hour operation hit targets in Bushehr, Chah Bahar, Jask, Konarak, Abu Musa and Bandar Abbas in an effort to “further degrade Iran’s ability to attack commercial shipping.”
“During the five-hour mission, U.S. forces successfully struck military targets across Iran including Bushehr, Chah Bahar, Jask, Konarak, Abu Musa, and Bandar Abbas to further degrade Iran’s ability to attack commercial shipping,” CENTCOM said in a post on X.
“CENTCOM forces employed precision munitions against Iranian coastal defense systems, missile and drone sites, and maritime capabilities,” the military added.
The latest operation marks another escalation in the U.S. campaign against Iran after Tehran was accused of carrying out attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
More than 50,000 U.S. service members remain deployed across the Middle East, with CENTCOM saying American forces remain “vigilant, lethal, and ready.”
The strikes came after President Donald Trump announced the United States would reinstate its naval blockade of Iranian ports, saying the move was intended to prevent Iran from using maritime trade to support its military operations.
Trump also announced that the U.S. would impose a 20% transit fee on cargo moving through the Strait of Hormuz under American naval protection, arguing the charge would help offset the cost of securing one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.
“The Hormuz Strait is OPEN, and will remain OPEN, with or without Iran. We are reinstating THE IRANIAN BLOCKADE,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
He added that the United States would become “THE GUARDIAN OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT” and would be “reimbursed, at the rate of 20% on all cargo shipped” for protecting maritime traffic.
The policy has drawn criticism from shipping organizations and some foreign governments, which argue the U.S. lacks authority to impose transit fees on vessels traveling through an international waterway. The Trump administration has defended the move as a necessary response to Iran’s attacks on commercial shipping and its continued military escalation in the region.
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