US strikes on Iran continue into fifth day as blockade resumes

U.S. military forces conducted a second wave of strikes against Iran on Wednesday, U.S. Central Command said in an X post.

It was the fifth consecutive day of operations aimed at degrading Iranian capabilities used to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

CENTCOM said it struck “Iranian command centers, air defense sites, missile and drone capabilities, and coastal surveillance facilities … in multiple locations including Bandar Abbas.” Earlier strikes Wednesday hit “coastal defense and cruise missile sites on Greater Tunb Island.”

“The U.S. military is holding Iran accountable at the Commander in Chief’s direction,” CENTCOM said.

The strikes come as the naval blockade resumed on Tuesday. The blockade went into effect at 4 p.m. ET against vessels transiting to and from Iranian ports and coastal areas. There are more than 20 U.S. Navy warships and hundreds of military aircraft operating across the Middle East.

An hour before the blockade resumed, CENTCOM said its forces struck “Iranian missile and drone sites, naval capabilities, and coastal defense systems” with fighter aircraft, drones and naval vessels over seven hours.

“U.S. forces remain vigilant, lethal, and prepared to execute operations directed by the Commander in Chief,” CENTCOM said Tuesday.

Iran responded with its own wave of attacks targeting U.S. forces in Bahrain and Jordan on Tuesday morning.

President Donald Trump said in a Truth Social post Tuesday that he would replace his proposed 20% fee for protection in the strait with trade and investment agreements under which Gulf states would make what he described as “massive” investments in the United States.

The U.S. began the latest series of attacks Saturday after Iran targeted commercial ships moving through the strait. Both sides have accused the other of violating the memorandum of understanding signed last month in an effort to end the hostilities.

An interim peace deal reached last month has repeatedly been tested. Talks aimed at fully reopening the waterway, halting Tehran’s nuclear program and ending the war are on hold.