The United States military launched two back-to-back waves of airstrikes against Iran on Wednesday, entering the fifth consecutive day of attacks in an escalating conflict over control of the Strait of Hormuz.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed the second wave of strikes followed a round of morning attacks. While CENTCOM did not release details on the extent of the damage, the command issued a social media statement outlining the objective.
“The strikes are targeting Iranian military capabilities used to threaten vessels freely transiting through the Strait of Hormuz, an international waterway vital to global commerce,” CENTCOM stated. “The U.S. military is holding Iran accountable at the Commander in Chief’s direction.”
The strikes follow reports earlier Wednesday from Kuwait, Bahrain, and Jordan of incoming Iranian missile or drone attacks. According to Iranian Health Ministry spokesperson Hossein Kermanpour, the recent U.S. strikes have killed 35 people and wounded more than 300 others, with 72 individuals currently hospitalized. The figures did not differentiate between civilians and combatants.
Iranian state television reported that the U.S. bombing campaign targeted positions along Iran’s southern coast, including Bandar Abbas, Khormuj, Ahvaz, Qeshm, Bushehr, and Kuh-e Stak. An additional strike targeted a barracks for Iran’s 388th Mechanized Infantry Brigade in the Sistan and Baluchestan province. State television noted that at least 13 missiles hit the facility, killing seven troops, including conscripts and career soldiers.
President Donald Trump commented briefly on the situation after arriving in Pennsylvania for a defense technology summit. When asked if he would set a deadline before targeting Iranian infrastructure like power plants or bridges, Trump declined to establish a specific timeline.
“I don’t like giving deadlines, but they pretty much know — they know the story. They better behave,” Trump said.
The recent hostilities mark a breakdown of the mid-June memorandum of understanding (MOU) aimed at keeping the shipping lane open. Mohammad Ghalibaf, the speaker of Iran’s Parliament, condemned the U.S. actions on Telegram, stating that Iran would no longer adhere to the agreement.
“A memorandum of understanding is meaningful only when its clauses are valid and in effect,” Ghalibaf wrote. “If Iran is not going to benefit from the memorandum of understanding, we have no reason to adhere to such an understanding. Our armed forces, as always, have complete freedom of action to confront enemy aggression.”
In tandem with the military actions, the U.S. Department of the Treasury issued its third round of sanctions against an international network allegedly procuring weapons for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The sanctions target seven individuals and entities, including Iranian national Behrouz Namazi of Nika Jet Company, Italian national Dounia Ettaib, and two Russian nationals working for the aviation firm Avratek.
“President Trump has been clear that Iran must denuclearize,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in an official statement. “Treasury will continue to target and disrupt the illicit procurement networks that fund Iran’s weapons programs and war machine.”
On the ground, maritime transit through the region remains severely disrupted. A U.S. naval blockade reinstated by President Trump on Monday intercepted two vessels over a 17-hour period. Iran’s IRIB state television network maintained Wednesday that the Strait of Hormuz is closed, reporting that Iranian forces fired warning shots at two commercial ships attempting to pass without coordination.
The IRGC also threatened to halt all energy exports from the Middle East in response to the American blockade. “The export of oil and gas from the region will be either for everyone or for no one,” the Revolutionary Guard said in a statement.
The friction pushed Brent crude oil prices briefly above $86 per barrel Wednesday morning before settling down to $84.93, a 0.2% increase from the prior day. On Wall Street, the S&P 500 remained mostly unchanged, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 43 points, or 0.1%, amid investor concerns over lingering inflationary pressures caused by the conflict.
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