The U.S. military announced late Thursday that it had finished another round of attacks on Iran, marking the 13th night in a row that American forces have struck the country.
According to U.S. Central Command, known as CENTCOM, the most recent round of strikes lasted over two hours.
In an official statement, CENTCOM described the scope of the operation: “CENTCOM targeted Iranian military command centers, drone storage facilities, communication networks, coastal surveillance sites and maritime capabilities to further diminish the threat Iran poses to civilian mariners and commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.”
President Donald Trump issued a warning Thursday, vowing “major military punishment” for both Iran and its Houthi allies after the Yemeni militant group attacked two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea. The assault marked an expansion of the conflict into a second major global shipping corridor.
Iran has also shut down the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway for international shipping.
The broader conflict between the U.S., Israel, and Iran began on February 28. Iran responded to initial strikes by launching its own attacks against Israel and Gulf nations that house American military bases. Combined U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran, along with Israeli attacks on Lebanon, have since resulted in thousands of deaths and the displacement of millions of people.
Trump has further threatened to strike Iranian energy infrastructure and bridges. Iran, in turn, has warned that any such action would prompt Iranian forces to target oil, gas, electricity, and economic facilities throughout the region.
International law experts in the United States raised alarms in April, following Trump’s earlier threats, stating that attacks on sites essential to civilian life could constitute war crimes under the 1949 Geneva Conventions. Trump’s threat that same month to destroy Iran’s entire civilization also drew widespread condemnation.
