Tehran (TDI): The United States carried out a ninth consecutive day of strikes on Iranian military targets on Monday, while Iran warned that the Strait of Hormuz would remain unsafe for shipping as long as US “aggression” in the region continued.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said its latest strikes targeted Iranian military command centres, air defense and coastal surveillance sites, maritime capabilities, missile and drone launch positions, and communications networks to reduce Tehran’s ability to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
The latest attacks come as fighting between Washington and Tehran intensifies following the collapse of an interim ceasefire agreement signed last month, raising concerns over global energy supplies and inflation.
Iranian media reported explosions in several cities, including Tabriz, Chabahar, Konarak, Bandar Mahshahr and Bandar Imam Khomeini, following the overnight strikes.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the military campaign, saying Washington would continue targeting Iran as long as it threatened commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, while reiterating that the United States remained open to a diplomatic solution.
Read More: Iran Renews Attacks on Gulf States as US Continues Strikes
Meanwhile, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed responsibility for missile attacks on US military facilities in Syria’s Al-Tanf region and Jordan’s Aqaba airport. Iranian state media also reported drone strikes targeting US military assets in Kuwait.
Kuwaiti authorities said a desalination plant came under attack for a second consecutive day, causing a fire and damaging civilian infrastructure.
The IRGC also claimed that two oil tankers were damaged after attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz, alleging they had been encouraged by the US military to use an unsafe route. However, no details were released regarding the vessels, their crews or possible casualties.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) separately reported receiving information about a vessel on fire near the Omani coast but said the cause had not been confirmed.
Read More: Oil Prices Rise as US-Iran Conflict Escalates
According to LSEG shipping data, only four vessels transited the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, compared with eight a day earlier, reflecting growing concerns over maritime security. The escalating conflict pushed international oil prices above $90 per barrel, with crude gaining around 2 per cent on Monday.
The US military also confirmed another American service member was killed in northern Iraq during the controlled detonation of an unexploded Iranian drone, bringing the reported US military death toll since the conflict began to 17, while more than 420 personnel have been wou
