US launches another round of strikes against Iran
A U.S. Air Force F-35A stealth fighter jet is refueled over the Middle East. (U.S. Central Command)
U.S. forces launched another round of strikes against Iran on Sunday, continuing an escalation in the fighting.
“At 5 p.m. ET (Sunday), U.S. Central Command forces began launching more strikes against Iran to continue degrading their ability to attack civilian mariners and commercial ships freely transiting the Strait of Hormuz,” CENTCOM said in a post on X.
A day earlier, U.S. forces hit about 140 Iranian military targets, including missile and drone sites, naval capabilities and communication networks, according to a statement from U.S. Central Command late Saturday.
The Islamic Republic responded early Sunday with drone and missile assaults on American allies across the Middle East, including Kuwait, Jordan and Qatar. Only minor damage was reported, and there were no casualties, Bloomberg News reported. Missile alerts and sirens sounded early Sunday in Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, all of which host U.S. military personnel.
Washington and Tehran issued conflicting declarations over whether the Strait of Hormuz remains open to shipping.
The Joint Maritime Information Center, a global monitoring body, reported Sunday it was still possible to transit the strait’s southern route.
President Donald Trump also said the strait remained open as he spoke Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “We bombed the hell out of them last night,” he said.
The IRGC said it fired ballistic missiles at the Prince Hassan Air Base in Jordan on Sunday, targeting a U.S. command and control center and multiple drone hangars, Bloomberg reported. The kingdom reported being hit by three missiles, without giving more details.
Qatar, meanwhile, said three people were injured by falling debris after Iranian missiles were intercepted. Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency reported the Guards had targeted Al-Udeid Air Base with ballistic missiles.
The latest strikes raised new questions about whether the fighting can be contained. Although Trump last week declared the ceasefire over, the White House says it still wants to pursue talks called for in a June agreement that paused the fighting.
The United States and Iran have been at war since late February, when the U.S. and Israel launched a series of strikes that degraded Iran’s military and killed many of its top leaders.
An interim peace deal reached last month has repeatedly been tested by attacks. Talks to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz, halt Tehran’s nuclear program and reach a permanent end to the war that started Feb. 28 are on hold.