Nine days after Iran launched a drone attack on a cargo ship near the Strait of Hormuz, US Central Command responded with a wave of airstrikes targeting Iranian missile storage facilities, drone depots, and radar installations. The strikes landed during what was supposed to be a ceasefire, which tells you everything about how fragile that ceasefire actually was.
This is not a one-off incident. It is the latest exchange in a months-long cycle of escalation that began with Operation Epic Fury in February 2026, and has since pulled in everything from Apache helicopters to global shipping lanes to, yes, Bitcoin.
What CENTCOM actually hit
The targets included Iranian drone command centers, air defense sites, and radar installations, according to CENTCOM. The strikes took place on June 9 and 10, 2026.
Prior to this exchange, Iran had also downed a US Army Apache helicopter near the strait. That incident escalated the situation significantly, and the CENTCOM strikes appear to be the US military’s consolidated response to both provocations.
