“During the five-hour mission, U.S. forces successfully struck military targets across Iran including Bushehr, Chah Bahar, Jask, Konarak, Abu Musa, and Bandar Abbas to further degrade Iran’s ability to attack commercial shipping,” CENTCOM said in a post on X.
The military said the operation relied on precision-guided weapons to hit a range of Iranian military assets believed to support maritime operations and regional attacks.
“CENTCOM forces employed precision munitions against Iranian coastal defense systems, missile and drone sites, and maritime capabilities,” the military added.
The newest strikes represent another significant escalation in the growing confrontation between Washington and Tehran. U.S. officials have repeatedly accused Iran of carrying out or supporting attacks targeting commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow but strategically vital waterway through which a substantial portion of the world’s energy supply passes every day.
As tensions continue to rise, the United States has maintained a massive military presence throughout the Middle East. More than 50,000 American service members remain deployed across the region, underscoring Washington’s commitment to protecting regional stability and safeguarding international shipping lanes.
CENTCOM emphasized that American forces remain fully prepared for any additional threats that could emerge.
The military stated that U.S. personnel remain “vigilant, lethal, and ready.”
Monday’s military operation follows a series of major policy announcements from President Donald Trump aimed at increasing economic and military pressure on Iran. The president recently declared that the United States would reinstate its naval blockade of Iranian ports, arguing that the move is necessary to prevent Tehran from using maritime commerce to fund and support its military activities.
Trump also unveiled a new policy requiring a 20% transit fee on cargo traveling through the Strait of Hormuz while under the protection of the U.S. Navy. According to the administration, the fee would help recover the enormous costs associated with protecting one of the busiest and most strategically important shipping corridors in the world.
Announcing the decision on Truth Social, Trump made clear that the United States intends to maintain control over maritime security in the region.
“The Hormuz Strait is OPEN, and will remain OPEN, with or without Iran. We are reinstating THE IRANIAN BLOCKADE,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The president further argued that American military protection should not come without compensation from the commercial vessels benefiting from that security umbrella.
He added that the United States would become “THE GUARDIAN OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT” and would be “reimbursed, at the rate of 20% on all cargo shipped” for protecting maritime traffic.
The administration’s latest actions have generated criticism from several international shipping organizations as well as some foreign governments. Critics argue that Washington does not possess the legal authority to impose transit fees on vessels traveling through an international waterway governed by established maritime law.
Despite those objections, the Trump administration has defended both the renewed blockade and the transit fee as necessary responses to Iran’s alleged attacks on commercial shipping and its continued military escalation throughout the region. Administration officials argue that stronger deterrence is essential to preserving freedom of navigation and ensuring the uninterrupted flow of global commerce through one of the world’s most critical maritime chokepoints.
