Florida [US], July 21 (HBTV): As the West Asia crisis widens, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Tuesday (local time) that it had begun a fresh round of strikes against Iran aimed at degrading Tehran's military capabilities.
Sharing details in a post on X, CENTCOM said the strikes began at 4 p.m. Eastern Time and targeted Iranian military infrastructure that it claimed had been used to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
'Today at 4 p.m. ET, U.S. forces began a new round of strikes against Iran at the Commander in Chief's direction. The strikes are designed to further degrade Iranian military capabilities used to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz,' CENTCOM said on X.
As developments unfolded, Iranian state broadcaster Press TV claimed that a US cruise missile was intercepted and destroyed over Rudbar-e Jonub in southeastern Iran.
It also reported that explosions were heard in Bandar Abbas and Sirik in southern Iran.
As tensions escalated in the region, CNN reported that Kuwait intercepted 'hostile targets', sirens sounded in Bahrain, and Jordan said it had downed Iranian missiles.
US President Donald Trump on Monday doubled down on his administration's hardline stance in the ongoing conflict with Iran, issuing a public directive to his military leadership.
In a post on Truth Social, the President vowed stern retaliation by the US military for every Iranian attack.
'Every time Iran kills an American soldier, they will pay for that killing many times over! This directive has been passed on to Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Daniel Caine, and every Leader in the Military,' he said.
Iranian state media reported explosions in multiple cities along the southern coastline and in the northwestern city of Tabriz, signalling a broader geographical expansion of the military operation.
As tensions escalated in the region, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) vowed to teach the United States such an 'unforgettable lesson' that it would deter anyone seeking to carry out aggression against Iran, Press TV reported earlier, citing a statement issued by the IRGC's High Command on Monday.
Meanwhile, President Masoud Pezeshkian on Monday said Tehran was engaged in a 'full-scale war' with the United States, asserting that the conflict extended beyond military strikes and warning that the country must accept the consequences of its resistance while continuing to defend its national interests.
(ANI)