United States Central Command confirmed on Tuesday that it had completed its eleventh consecutive night of airstrikes against Iran, targeting military operations centres, maritime capabilities, aircraft hangars, drone storage facilities, and logistics infrastructure. According to a CENTCOM statement, the operation concluded at 8:15 pm Eastern Time on July 21, with the primary objective of further degrading Tehran's capacity to threaten commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. US military officials noted that Iranian forces have attacked over 30 commercial vessels navigating the vital waterway over the past three months, characterising the assaults as unwarranted actions that have put hundreds of civilian mariners at risk and undermined freedom of navigation.
Despite the recent escalation, CENTCOM stated that the Strait of Hormuz remains open to commercial traffic, highlighting that American forces have helped facilitate the passage of roughly 900 commercial vessels carrying an estimated 450 million barrels of crude oil through the maritime corridor since early May. The latest wave of military action began around 7:00 pm Eastern Time, with CENTCOM posting on X that forces were striking targeted military sites across the country.
Iranian state broadcaster IRIB reported that multiple regions came under attack shortly after the US military announced the start of operations. Local officials confirmed strikes in the Chavar and Abdanan regions of Ilam province, whilst targeted strikes were also noted near Baneh in Kurdistan province and within Kabudar Ahang County in Hamadan province. Further reports from IRIB indicated that explosions echoed across Mahshahr in Khuzestan province, Tabriz in East Azerbaijan, and the southeastern coastal areas of Chabahar and Konarak in Sistan and Baluchestan province, where aircraft were briefly heard flying overhead.
Regional authorities across several provinces confirmed that field assessments and security evaluations were underway following missile strikes near Omidieh and Behbahan, though officials in Sistan and Baluchestan assured that local situations were under control. The renewed offensive marks a sharp deterioration in regional stability following the breakdown of last month’s 14-point Memorandum of Understanding. Designed to cease hostilities and pave the way for negotiations on Iran’s nuclear programme and maritime security, the collapse of the agreement has reignited open conflict in West Asia, sparking US strikes on Iranian targets and retaliatory strikes by the Islamic Republic against American bases across the Gulf.
Also read: US launches fresh strikes on Iran, IRGC targets ships in Bahrain
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