US launches 11th straight night of strikes on Iran as regional tensions escalate

Washington: The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said American forces completed their 11th consecutive night of military strikes against targets in Iran, targeting facilities linked to the country's military operations and logistics.

In a post on X, CENTCOM said the strikes concluded at 8:15 p.m. ET on Tuesday and were aimed at Iranian military operations centres, maritime capabilities, aircraft hangars, drone storage sites and logistics infrastructure. According to the command, the objective was to further reduce Iran's ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

CENTCOM said Iran has attacked more than 30 commercial vessels transiting the strategic waterway over the past three months, calling the incidents "unwarranted attacks" that endangered civilian mariners and undermined freedom of navigation.

Despite the ongoing conflict, CENTCOM said the Strait of Hormuz remains open to commercial traffic. Since early May, US forces have facilitated the safe passage of around 900 commercial vessels carrying an estimated 450 million barrels of crude oil, it added.

Earlier on Tuesday, CENTCOM had announced that US forces began another round of strikes at 7 p.m. ET, marking the 11th consecutive night of operations against military targets in Iran.

Meanwhile, Iran's armed forces claimed they had launched missile and drone attacks targeting US military bases, assets and infrastructure in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan, describing the operation as retaliation for the latest American strikes.

In separate statements carried by the official Sepah News agency, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said its aerospace forces struck US air defence systems, radar installations, communications infrastructure and other military assets in Bahrain and Kuwait, along with US military facilities in Jordan.

The IRGC said the attacks were carried out in response to recent US military action against Iran and were intended to pave the way for broader missile and drone operations targeting American forces across the region.

Separately, Iran's army said it had launched missiles and drones at several US military installations, including Camp Arifjan, Ahmad al-Jaber Air Base in Kuwait, and Shaikh Isa Air Base in Bahrain.

The exchange marks a further escalation in tensions between the United States and Iran, with both sides continuing military operations amid growing concerns over regional security and the safety of key global shipping routes.

With inputs from IANS