CENTCOM strikes Iran again on Tuesday, and Trump warns of a heavier blow
CENTCOM said on Tuesday it had struck Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targets in southern Iran; explosions were reported in Bandar Abbas, Chabahar and on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz. The wave was the second round since Sunday and closed a month without fighting. Donald Trump wrote that if Iran retaliates it will be hit at a much harder and higher level, though still not the biggest attack. Before the war, 20 per cent of the world's oil passed through Hormuz; the strait is effectively closed.
Geopolitics··Night
CENTCOM casts the Tuesday strikes as a second round since Sunday
CENTCOM said on Tuesday it had hit targets in Iran. The command said the attacks followed Iranian attempts against commercial vessels and American troops in the region. The wave was the second round since Sunday and closed a month without fighting in a war that has run for more than 6 months. US forces said they had bombed Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps sites in the south; the strikes ran for roughly 6 hours. Iran had answered Sunday's strikes with missiles at US sites in Jordan, which were intercepted.[1], [2]
Explosions reported in Bandar Abbas, Qeshm and Chabahar
Iranian state television reported the sound of explosions in the southern port city of Bandar Abbas on Tuesday without giving details. Explosions were also reported in Chabahar and on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz. CENTCOM said its forces had hit air defense sites, radar systems, maritime assets and facilities, mine-laying capabilities and communications sites. Donald Trump wrote that the round followed an alleged attempt to place additional mines in Hormuz and 8 missiles fired at a US base in Jordan over the weekend, all knocked down.[1], [2]
Trump warns of a heavier blow as Hormuz stays closed
Donald Trump wrote on social media that if Iran retaliates it will be hit at a much harder and higher level, though that would still not be the biggest attack. Before the war, 20 per cent of the world's oil normally flowed through Hormuz; Tehran has kept the waterway effectively closed since the fighting began. Trump had pivoted last month toward a sanctions track. Oil prices rose alongside the return to open fighting; the episode is described as a political burden for Republicans before November's midterm elections.[1], [2]
