United States launches 7‑hour air strike on Iran and reinstates naval blockade

The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) reported that a coordinated seven‑hour wave of attacks hit dozens of Iranian military targets near the Strait of Hormuz and along Iran’s coast. The operation employed fighter jets, drones and warships, striking missile and drone sites, naval capabilities and coastal defence systems to “weaken Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping and civilian crews,” according to Admiral Brad Cooper. Simultaneously the United States re‑imposed a naval blockade of Iranian ports and coastal waters, deploying more than 20 warships and hundreds of aircraft throughout the Middle East.

President Donald Trump warned in a Fox News interview that, “We will hit all their power plants and bridges unless they come to the negotiating table,” and added that the United States would continue strikes “until I say enough.” Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed it had attacked U.S. assets in Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan and elsewhere in retaliation. Iranian state media reported explosions in Bandar Abbas, Ahvaz and other coastal locations, but no official casualty figures were released.

The escalation follows a recent series of Iranian attacks on commercial vessels in the Gulf, which the United States says prompted the renewed military response and the reinstated maritime embargo.