US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced a fresh round of strikes against Iran on Wednesday, saying it had struck dozens of Iranian military targets near the Strait of Hormuz during a seven-hour operation involving US aircraft, drones and naval vessels.
According to CENTCOM, the strikes targeted missile and drone sites, naval assets and coastal defenses to reduce Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping.
Iran's semi-official Mehr news agency said earlier on Wednesday that air defenses around the Bushehr nuclear power plant in southern Iran had been activated. Mehr news agency said there had been no official comment so far.
In addition, Mehr attributed sounds of explosions in Iran's Sirik and eastern Hormozgan to clashes in the Gulf of Oman and Strait of Hormuz, shortly after Iran's official IRNA News Agency reported US strikes on the Iranian island of Hengam.
Earlier on Wednesday, Iran's semi-official news outlet Tasnim cited local Chabahar officials as denying claims of an explosion in the area.
On Tuesday, CENTCOM announced that it initiated a round of strikes against Iran aimed at continuing to degrade “Iranian capabilities used to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.”
CENTCOM stated, in a post on X/Twitter, that the strikes are being carried out, confirming later on Tuesday that the blockade has been reinstated.
Iran says US struck near key Persian Gulf islands as Trump still pushes for talks, sources say
A US projectile reportedly exploded near a water and electricity facility on Iran's Kish Island, Iranian state media claimed on Tuesday.
Additional explosions were heard on Iran's Qeshm Island, according to IRGC-linked Fars News Agency. Their cause is not yet known.
Separately, Kuwait’s Armed Forces announced that they were in the process of combatting hostile aerial targets, namely "missile and drone threats," within their airspace.
Shortly afterward, Bahrain's Interior Ministry announced that rocket sirens were sounding in the country.
Trump administration still pushing for talks with Iran, sources tell 'Post'
The reports of strikes in the Gulf region come as US military continued to carry out strikes near the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf, targeting Iranian threats while deliberately avoiding major infrastructure, large command-and-control headquarters, and senior Iranian officials, a source familiar with the operation told The Jerusalem Post.
"The strikes are currently focused on threats along the strait and on weapons systems capable of targeting ships," the source said, adding that "the US military is also conducting strikes on the 'periphery of Hormuz,' but not beyond that, except in exceptional cases."
The latest wave of strikes comes ahead of a US naval blockade on Iran that is scheduled to begin at 11 p.m. Israel time on Tuesday. "No ship will leave, and no ship will enter," a US official told the Post.
Despite the administration's increasingly tough rhetoric, Washington is continuing to signal that diplomacy remains on the table.
US President Donald Trump appeared to hedge that earlier on Tuesday.
"They're tough people. I gave Iran a chance to make a deal," he said. "They fired first, and that was a very big mistake."
A diplomatic source told the Post that the administration has continued to send messages to Tehran indicating that negotiations are still an option.
"At least as far as the strikes are concerned, they are not crossing a certain line, while at the same time signaling that 'there is still something to talk about,'" the source said.
Iran's IRGC threaten regional energy exports, cite US actions – state media
Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) said on Tuesday that as long as US "evil actions" continue in the region, "not a single drop of oil and gas" would be exported from the region, Iranian state media reported.
IRGC also said US "aggressions" would have no result other than to delay the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, adding that their attacks on what it described as US facilities in Kuwait and Bahrain came in response to US attacks on Iran.
Kuwait says Iranian attacks hit navy vessel, injuring four troops
Kuwait's military said on Tuesday that one of its navy vessels was targeted in what it described as Iranian attacks, injuring four armed forces personnel, Kuwait's army said in a statement.
The injured personnel received medical treatment and were in stable condition, the statement added.
Kuwait's armed forces had detected and intercepted one ballistic missile, five cruise missiles and 33 drones in Tuesday's attacks, which targeted several vital and civilian facilities, with debris falling and causing material damage.
Reuters contributed to this report.