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Escalating its military campaign in the Middle East, the United States has launched a fresh wave of precision strikes hitting approximately 90 Iranian military targets, deep inside the Islamic Republic, further intensifying a rapidly expanding regional conflict.An aerial targeting image released by the US military shows a precision strike on whatit identified as an Iranian military target during operations in Iran. (Photo:X/@CENTCOM)
According to US military officials, the latest round of aerial assaults specifically pounded key Iranian military assets, including air defence systems, missile and drone storage facilities, and critical strategic command networks. The US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed the military action, stating on social media platform X that it had carried out "an additional round of strikes against Iran, July 8, to further degrade Iran''s ability to attack commercial shipping and innocent civilian mariners in the Strait of Hormuz." Along with the statement, CENTCOM released operational video footage depicting precision strikes and multiple secondary explosions across what it identified as Iranian military installations. This massive deployment of American firepower followed an initial wave of strikes launched just a day prior. US defence officials disclosed that on July 7, American forces hit around 80 Iranian military targets, which included wiping out more than 60 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) boats. Washington stated that the initial offensive was a direct response to Iran''s aggressive maritime strikes on three commercial vessels transiting the vital Strait of Hormuz shipping lane. "U.S. forces remain vigilant, lethal, and prepared to execute operations directed by the Commander in Chief," CENTCOM declared in its statement on X. The heavy exchange of fire ignited after US President Donald Trump declared that the ceasefire with Iran was "over". The dramatic collapse of the truce has triggered global alarm, prompting the United Nations, Pakistan, and Qatar to urgently call for restraint as international diplomatic efforts scramble to prevent an all-out regional war. Responding to the onslaught, Tehran renewed its stark warnings to Washington, asserting that any further American military misadventure would invite severe retaliation. Condemning the strikes, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf accused the US administration of clinging to a confrontational foreign policy, arguing that Washington has failed to grasp that "bullying and breaking promises are no longer cost-free." "America still hasn''t learned that bullying and breaking promises are no longer cost-free. Let me put it plainly: if you strike, you''ll get hit," Ghalibaf warned during a public address. The top Iranian official further declared that the strategically vital chokepoint of the Strait of Hormuz would remain firmly under Tehran''s sovereign control, making it clear that any decision regarding its operational maritime status would be dictated by Iran rather than western intimidation. "Don''t flail around pointlessly, or you''ll sink even deeper. The Strait of Hormuz will only open with Iranian arrangements, not American threats," Ghalibaf stated defiantly. Concurrently, Iranian state media reported powerful explosions rocking several coastal and strategic locations, including Bandar Abbas, Konarak, Chabahar, and Kish Island. Local reports indicated that parts of the critical port city of Chabahar suffered extensive power outages immediately following the targeted US strikes. (ANI)
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