'Large and powerful' attacks against Iran: Trump launches military strikes on Iranian targets near the Strait of Hormuz
The operations followed several recent attempts attributed to the IRGC to attack commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and members of the U.S. Armed Forces.
Ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz / Atta Kenare
President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that the U.S. military carried out "large and powerful" strikes against Iranian targets located near the Strait of Hormuz. Via Truth Social, the president explained that the U.S. offensive was a response to an Iranian attempt to lay sea mines in the strategic international waterway, adding that the mines were "removed or detonated." Trump also noted that the strikes were in response to an Iranian missile launch against a U.S. military base in Jordan.
The president further warned that Tehran will face even greater consequences if it decides to respond militarily to the U.S. offensive. "They will be hit again at a much harder and higher level, but it will not be the biggest attack of them all, that is waiting in the wings," said Trump, who also asserted that "there will be very little left" of the country once that eventual offensive concludes, he added.
Shortly after Trump's post, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed that the U.S. military had carried out a "wave of strikes" against military targets belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in various locations across Iran. "U.S. forces struck Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targets including air defense sites, radar systems, maritime assets and facilities, mine laying capabilities, and communications sites," CENTCOM reported on its official X account.
The command also explained that the operations followed several recent attempts attributed to the IRGC to attack commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and members of the U.S. Armed Forces. Furthermore, CENTCOM added that more than 50,000 U.S. military personnel remain deployed in the Middle East and assured that they are "vigilant, lethal, and prepared to continue executing operations ordered by the commander-in-chief."
Despite Trump's warnings, the Iranian regime carried out retaliatory attacks on a U.S. military base in Jordan. A senior official confirmed to Fox News that all U.S. military personnel have been accounted for following the Iranian retaliatory attacks and stated that the United States managed to intercept "most of" the missiles fired by Tehran. Most of the missiles and drones launched by Iran were headed toward Jordan before being shot down, the official explained. He also stated that no U.S. military base sustained significant damage during the attacks.
Reports of civilian deaths and CENTCOM's denial
In response, U.S. Navy Captain Tim Hawkins, speaking on behalf of CENTCOM, said it was aware of the reports, stating that “The U.S. military never targets civilians, unlike the IRGC.”
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