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The U.S. military resumed strikes against Iran on Wednesday, aiming to further decimate its ability to disrupt maritime traffic, hours after President Trump threatened to unleash a “big attack” on the country.
“At the direction of the Commander in Chief, U.S. Central Command forces have started conducting additional strikes against Iran to further degrade their ability to threaten freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz,” Centcom, which oversees U.S. forces in the Middle East, said in a statement shortly after 4 p.m. EDT.
“The United States is holding Iran accountable for recent unjustified aggression against commercial shipping and civilian crews freely navigating a vital international waterway.”
Trump had previewed the strikes during the NATO summit earlier in the day.
“I’ll give them a little warning: We’re going to hit them hard tonight, but we’ll see how it all works out,” Trump told reporters, adding he is not “happy” with Iran’s leadership.
The president also floated reimposing the naval blockade, which was lifted in mid-June after Iran and the U.S. penned a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to end the conflict.
Trump, who was visibly angered by Iranian strikes on commercial vessels, said the MOU is “over”
“I don’t want to deal with them anymore. They’re scum,” Trump said, adding it was a waste of time to deal with the country’s negotiators.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Wednesday the Pentagon would strike Iran “even more and even deeper” if Trump gives the green light.
The new round of strikes comes after the U.S. military launched a barrage of strikes against Iran Tuesday evening in retaliation for Tehran targeting three commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz in recent days.
The U.S. forces struck more than 80 targets, including air defense systems, command and control networks, coastal radar sites, anti-ship missile capabilities and over 60 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps small boats inside and near the strait, through which about 20 percent of the world’s oil and gas flow through. The barrage last for about four hours on Tuesday, Centcom said.
Iran retaliated Tuesday overnight, firing drones and missiles at Bahrain and Kuwait, both countries that are hosting U.S. military assets and troops.
No U.S. service members were injured as missiles and drones were intercepted or did not cause “major damage,” a U.S. military official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Hill.
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