HIMARS launched from Bahrain? US launches BIG attack on Iran after Hormuz closure, Hegseth says 'now they pay'
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "HIMARS launched from Bahrain? US launches BIG attack on Iran after Hormuz closure, Hegseth says 'now they pay'")
US has attacked key locations in Iran again Photograph: (AFP | WION Combination image)
The US launched fresh strikes on Iranian targets after the IRGC allegedly attacked a Cyprus-flagged container ship in the Strait of Hormuz. Explosions were reported across southern Iran, including Bushehr, Asaluyeh and Bandar Abbas, as tensions between Washington and Tehran escalated.
The United States has attacked key locations in Iran as tensions flared up in West Asia again. The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said that it has launched a fresh round of strikes against Iran after Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) navy fired at a Cyprus-flagged container ship transiting the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s IRIB state broadcaster reported that explosions were heard in Bandar Abbas, Sirik, Chabahar and Asaluyeh. It must be noted that Chabahar post - that is strategically and geopolitically important to India is in this area.
The attack comes within an hour of Iran announcing the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Unconfirmed reports have also suggested that HIMARS rockets may have been launched from Bahrain toward Iran. Soon after the attack, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth posted on X, saying: “Iran made a poor choice. Now they pay.”
Also Read: Trump agrees to fresh Iran talks as us imposes new sanctions amid rising middle east tensions
What the CENTCOM said?
The CENTCOM said it began launching the “third round of strikes” on Iran this week after IRGC “blatantly attacked M/V GFS Galaxy, a Cyprus-flagged container ship transiting the Strait of Hormuz.” It said that after the Iranian attack on the ship, a civilian crew member is missing and the vessel was unable to continue the journey “due to an onboard fire and significant engineroom damage.” The CENTCOM also said that the attacks were carried on the direction of US President Donald Trump, adding that Tehran was given “yet another opportunity to demonstrate adherence to the Memorandum of Understanding after being held accountable for earlier attacks on commercial vessels but has again failed.”
Trump on Saturday (July 11) had warned Iran that 1,000 missiles are locked and loaded to “completely decimate” the country. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the “orders have been given” and that the US military is ready to destroy the country in case Iran succeeds in assassinating the US President. “Orders have already been given, and the US Military is ready, willing, and able, for a one-year period of time, subject to extension, to completely decimate and destroy all areas of Iran,” Trump’s social media post read.
What was Iran's warning?
While announcing the closure of Hormuz, Iran had warned against “act of aggression” and said that it would "be met with a severe response, and new enemy bases in the region will be targeted." The announcement was carried by Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB). It also warned that if the "enemy" uses the incident as a pretext and makes any "misstep," it will face a "severe response." "The Strait of Hormuz is closed until further notice and until the end of America's interventions in the region, and no vessel will be permitted to pass through," Iran had said in a statement.
A day ago, Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei pledged to "avenge the blood" of Khamenei and the "martyrs" killed in the war, stating that it is a "demand" by the people of the Islamic Republic. "We pledge to avenge the blood of the martyred leader and all the martyrs of these two wars from the criminal and disgraced killers," Khamenei said in a written message on social media.
