The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) on Sunday reaffirmed that the Iranian government did not have control over the Strait of Hormuz, announcing a fresh round of strikes against Tehran as tensions escalate in the region.
CENTCOM Touts New Strikes
In a new update released on X, the Central Command said that it conducted a “new wave of offensive strikes against Iran,” adding that it hit dozens of targets to deter Tehran’s ability to target vessels traversing through the Strait of Hormuz.
Strikes were conducted at Iran’s “air-defense systems, coastal radar sites, missile and drone capabilities, and small boats,” CENTCOM said. The targets were hit using various approaches, including fighter aircraft and naval vessels.
CENTCOM then said that the Strait of Hormuz, responsible for a fifth of the global oil supply before the war, was a “vital maritime corridor” for international trade. “Iran does not control it,” the update said, adding that U.S. forces were ensuring safe passage through the waterway despite Iran’s “unwarranted aggression” and “threats.”
The Central Command had earlier also rejected Iran’s authority over the waterway and said that it had facilitated the passage of over 800 commercial vessels through the Strait since May and helped move 380 million barrels of oil during the same period.
Iran’s Speaker of the Parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, has said that the waterway was under Iran’s command, reaffirming Tehran’s authority over the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran War Updates
CENTCOM had earlier conducted another wave of strikes on Iran, saying that the strikes were carried out under President Donald Trump‘s orders to “hold Iranian forces accountable” amid uncertainty over the Strait of Hormuz.
On the other hand, Iran has also reportedly conducted strikes at U.S. assets in the region, like military bases in Jordan, Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain.
Notably, Iran had claimed that it had shut down the Strait of Hormuz following a vessel crossing the waterway through an unapproved route.
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