Washington [US], July 9 : The US Central Command (CENTCOM) on Wednesday (local time) said its forces have started conducting additional strikes against Iran to further degrade Tehran's ability to threaten freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, following recent attacks on commercial shipping and civilian crews.
In a post shared on X, US CENTCOM said, "At the direction of the Commander in Chief, U.S. Central Command forces have started conducting additional strikes against Iran to further degrade their ability to threaten freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz."
"The United States is holding Iran accountable for recent unjustified aggression against commercial shipping and civilian crews freely navigating a vital international waterway," it added.
https://x.com/CENTCOM/status/2074950507186032971
Meanwhile, Iran's southern port city of Chabahar experienced power cuts after the United States announced another round of airstrikes against Iran, according to CNN, citing Iranian state media.
Around 10 explosions were heard in Chabahar and the nearby coastal city of Konarak, Iran's state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported.
"Electricity has also been cut in parts of the city of Chabahar," IRNA said, adding that the incident was under investigation.
Meanwhile, explosions were also reported in the Iranian city of Bushehr, CNN reported, citing the semi-official Fars news agency. The exact location of the blasts was not immediately clear, Fars reported.
Bushehr is home to Iran's Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant.
Explosions were also reported on Iran's Abu Musa Island, Al Jazeera reported, citing Press TV, with three additional blasts heard near Tahrouyi village in the southern city of Sirik.
The latest strikes follow a US military operation on July 7, when CENTCOM said its forces conducted a new round of offensive strikes against Iran, hitting more than 80 targets with precision munitions in response to alleged Iranian attacks on commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
In a statement, CENTCOM said the strikes targeted Iranian air defence systems, command-and-control networks, coastal radar sites, anti-ship missile capabilities, and more than 60 small boats operated by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in and around the Strait of Hormuz.
The US military said the operation was aimed at reducing Iran's ability to carry out further attacks on international shipping.
Washington had alleged that Iran recently targeted three commercial vessels passing through the strategic waterway -- the Marshall Islands-flagged M/T Al Rekayyat, Saudi Arabia-flagged M/T Wedyan, and Liberia-flagged M/T Cyprus Prosperity.
Calling the alleged attacks a violation of the ceasefire agreement, CENTCOM said, "The unwarranted aggression by Iranian forces is a clear and dangerous violation of the ceasefire and undermines freedom of navigation."
"CENTCOM forces remain postured and prepared to hold Iran accountable when the agreement is not adhered to or obeyed," it added.