&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "US military says Hormuz threat ‘degraded’, over 8,000 targets struck across Iran since war began")
The US military claimed that it had “degraded” Iran's ability to threaten the Strait of Hormuz by bombing an underground facility, which it said the Islamic Republic used to store cruise missiles and other weaponry. It added that some of the heaviest bombs in its arsenal were used to penetrate nearby missile sites.
Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of United States Central Command (CENTCOM), said it had dropped multiple 5,000-pound bombs on a “hardened” underground facility located along Iran's coast that was used to store anti-ship cruise missiles, mobile missile launchers, and other equipment.
“We not only took out the facility, but also destroyed intelligence support sites and missile radar relays that were used to monitor ship movements,” Cooper said in a video message posted on X.
“Iran's ability to threaten freedom of navigation in and around the Strait of Hormuz is degraded as a result, and we will not stop pursuing these targets,” he added.
The United States has come under intense pressure domestically and internationally after Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, causing crude oil prices to cross $100, an increase of nearly 50 per cent. The energy crisis has also forced several countries to take emergency measures, with Washington moving to ease sanctions on Russian oil that were imposed after the start of the war in Ukraine in 2022.
Cooper also said that the US military has so far struck over 8,000 military targets, including 130 Iranian vessels, in the past three weeks.
The war in West Asia has entered its third week, triggered by the bombing campaign launched by the US-Israeli military on February 28. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior leaders, including security chief Ali Larijani, Minister of Intelligence Esmaeil Khatib, and IRGC Commander-in-Chief Mohammad Pakpour, were killed by the United States and Israel in decapitation strikes aimed at sparking regime change in Tehran.
Despite the decapitation strikes and the massive bombing campaign, Iran remains defiant and has launched attacks on US bases across the region and disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. From March 1 to 19, commodity carriers made just 116 crossings, according to analytics firm Kpler, a decrease of 95 per cent from peacetime averages.
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(Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing conflicts in West Asia involving Israel, Iran, the US, Gulf nations and non-state actors like Hezbollah, Hamas, Houthis, Islamic State, and others. Claims and counterclaims, disinformation and misinformation are being made online and offline. Given this context, WION cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, social media posts, photos and videos.)
