US conducts ninth night of strikes on Iran as tensions rise over Hormuz
The United States launched a ninth consecutive night of missile strikes against Iran, while Tehran's Revolutionary Guard warned the Hormuz passage would remain unsafe and vowed further retaliation.
The United States carried out a ninth successive night of missile strikes against Iran on Monday, targeting several cities including Tabriz, Chabahar, Konarak, Bandar Mahshahr and Bandar Imam Khomeini, according to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency. The U.S. Central Command said the attacks were intended to degrade Iran’s capability to threaten commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps reported hitting U.S. military sites in Kuwait and launching ballistic missiles at a U.S. aircraft at Jordan’s Aqaba airport. It also claimed a surprise strike on a special-operations headquarters in Syria’s Al-Tanf area and announced that two oil tankers attempting to use the southern route of the strait had been destroyed, though independent verification was lacking.
"This passage will not be safe for the transit of petrochemical products, nor even a single drop of oil and gas," the Guard warned, adding that the United States should prepare for a punitive operation.
U.S. officials said three American service members had been killed in recent hostilities, bringing the total U.S. fatalities since the conflict resumed to 17, with more than 420 wounded. Iran’s health ministry reported 50 civilian deaths and over 500 injuries from U.S. strikes over the past three weeks.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Iran was using the strait as leverage against the world and urged other nations to help protect global shipping, stating, "The United States will do and continue to do what it needs to, to protect global shipping, but other countries need to step up and provide – whether it’s hardware or finances – to help carry that burden."
The escalation pushed Brent crude up 2.7% to about $90.50 a barrel in early Asian trade, briefly crossing $91, its highest level since June. Regional alerts continued, with Bahrain sounding air-raid sirens for the third time in eight hours and Kuwait’s army reporting active defence against hostile drones.