The United States has launched a new wave of airstrikes against Iran, with the military saying the operation is aimed at degrading Tehran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and retaliating for an attack on American troops in Jordan that killed two US service members.In a post on X, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the strikes began at 6 pm ET on the orders of President Donald Trump.“Today at 6 pm ET, US forces began launching new airstrikes against Iran at the Commander in Chief’s direction. The strikes are designed to further degrade Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and swiftly punish Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces who launched attacks against American service members in Jordan last night,” CENTCOM said.The latest operation marks another escalation in the conflict between the United States and Iran. According to CENTCOM, the strikes are targeting Iran’s military capabilities linked to threats against maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, as well as Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) forces that Washington blames for the attack on US personnel in Jordan.The US operation follows Friday’s Iranian ballistic missile and drone attack on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, where American and partner forces were defending against the assault. CENTCOM said two American service members were killed in action, one remains missing, while four others were medically evacuated to hospitals in Jordan and have since been discharged. Other personnel treated for minor injuries have returned to duty. The military said it was withholding the identities of the fallen until their families are notified.The latest attack raised the US military death toll in the Iran conflict to 16 service members, according to US officials.The US military has not disclosed the locations targeted in the latest wave of strikes or released an initial battle damage assessment. Iran had not immediately commented on the operation.
