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The US Central Command (CENTCOM) on Tuesday (local time) said that it has resumed the naval blockade targeting vessels travelling to and from Iranian ports and coastal areas, hours after announcing an "additional round of strikes" against the Islamic Republic amid the escalating tensions in West Asia.
In a post on X, CENTCOM said the blockade was reinstated at 4 pm ET, as US forces continued operations aimed at reducing Iranian capabilities that Washington said were being used to target commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. The CENTCOM noted that over 20 US naval warships and hundreds of military aircraft are deployed across the region as part of the blockade. "U.S. forces resumed the naval blockade against vessels transiting to and from Iranian ports and coastal areas today at 4 p.m. ET. There are currently more than 20 U.S. Navy warships and hundreds of military aircraft operating across the Middle East. American forces remain vigilant, lethal, and ready," US Central Command said. Earlier, CENTCOM announced that American forces had launched another round of strikes against Iran. "At 3 p.m. ET today, U.S. Central Command forces began launching an additional round of strikes against Iran to continue degrading Iranian capabilities used to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. The strikes are taking place as American forces prepare to resume the naval blockade against Iranian ports and coastal areas. The blockade goes into effect at 4 p.m. ET," CENTCOM added in a separate post. The US military did not provide details regarding the locations or targets involved in the reported strikes. The developments come amid escalating tensions between Washington and Tehran over maritime security and attacks involving commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global energy transit route. Earlier in the day, CENTCOM declared that American forces had wrapped up another series of coordinated strikes against Iranian military infrastructure at 10:15 PM Eastern Time on July 13. According to the military command, the five-hour operation targeted key installations at Bushehr, Chah Bahar, Jask, Konarak, Abu Musa and Bandar Abbas, all positioned along Iran's southern coast. CENTCOM stated that precision-guided munitions were deployed to neutralise Iranian coastal defence systems, missile launch infrastructure, drone positions and naval capabilities. Following this, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targeted US military assets in Bahrain and Kuwait during the third wave of its "Operation Nasr 2", in retaliation for US strikes on the Islamic Republic. The latest exchanges highlight a severe escalation in the conflict in West Asia, which has increasingly broadened from targeted US strikes inside Iran to reciprocal attacks directly involving American military installations situated across the Gulf. (ANI)
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