U.S. forces conducted overnight strikes on Iranian land-based missile sites along the coastline near the Strait of Hormuz, saying the action was intended to keep the vital waterway open for international shipping. U.S. Central Command, which operates from a major detachment in Bahrain, confirmed the strikes on Wednesday.
In a post on X, CENTCOM said “hours ago, U.S. forces successfully employed multiple 5,000-pound deep penetrator munitions on hardened Iranian missile sites along Iran’s coastline near the Strait of Hormuz,” and added that the anti-ship cruise missiles at those locations posed a hazard to commercial and military vessels. CENTCOM also released a map indicating the targeted sites.
Officials and other sources have warned that Iran’s coastal anti-ship missiles are capable of striking any vessel transiting the strait. The strikes came after a lukewarm international reaction to President Donald Trump’s proposal the previous day for a collective, multinational force to secure transit through the Strait of Hormuz; several NATO European allies, Japan, Australia and South Korea declined to join the plan.
The Strait of Hormuz, a roughly 33-kilometre-wide channel between Iran and Oman, is strategically significant, and disruptions there have previously affected shipments of crude oil and liquefied petroleum gas.
