The United States has launched another round of military strikes against Iran, with US Central Command confirming that the operation was carried out on Sunday evening local time.

The strikes were ordered by the Commander in Chief and were described as part of efforts to degrade Iran’s ability to target civilian mariners and commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz. CENTCOM stated that the action was intended to hold Iranian forces accountable for recent attacks.

The announcement was made in a post on X, where CENTCOM specified that at 5 p.m. ET, US forces began launching strikes against Iranian positions. The operation was framed as a continuation of earlier actions designed to ensure freedom of navigation in the strategic waterway.

Iran’s Press TV reported that three explosions were heard in the southern cities of Jask, Bandar Abbas and Sirik following the strikes. These reports highlighted the immediate impact of the US operation inside Iranian territory.

The escalation prompted a strong reaction from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who expressed deep concern over the renewed military confrontations. He warned that the situation could have severe regional and global consequences if hostilities were allowed to spiral further.

In his statement, Guterres condemned both Iranian attacks on ships and US strikes on Iranian targets, as well as Iranian attacks on neighbouring countries. He urged all parties to stop immediately.

The UN chief cautioned that a return to full-scale hostilities would have catastrophic consequences for the people of the region, international peace and security, and the global economy. He appealed to both Washington and Tehran to urgently resume negotiations and resolve outstanding issues through diplomacy.

The latest strikes followed a third round of US operations earlier in the week. On Saturday, CENTCOM confirmed that US forces had hit approximately 140 Iranian military targets. These included missile and drone sites, naval assets, ammunition storage facilities, communication networks, and coastal surveillance locations. The strikes were carried out using land- and sea-based fighter aircraft, drones, and naval vessels, employing precision munitions to maximise effectiveness.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump addressed the situation directly in an interview on NBC’s Meet the Press. He dismissed Iranian claims of control over the Strait of Hormuz, insisting that the waterway remains open to commercial traffic.

He revealed that recent diplomatic efforts with Tehran had collapsed after an alleged Iranian strike against a commercial vessel. The President emphasised that the US had responded with significant military force, bluntly stating, “It’s open. We bombed the hell out of them last night.”

The developments underscore the collapse of fragile diplomatic channels and the intensification of military confrontation in one of the world’s most critical maritime chokepoints. The Strait of Hormuz remains a focal point of global energy security, and the ongoing clashes between Washington and Tehran threaten to destabilise the wider Gulf region.

ANI