CENTCOM announced that a new wave of strikes against the Islamic Republic’s military positions commenced at 1:30 PM Tehran time on Wednesday, July 15.
The U.S. Central Command, in a statement published on X, claimed that the strikes are being carried out with the goal of “degrading the military capabilities” of the Islamic Republic that, according to the command, have been used in attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
Before launching this new wave, CENTCOM had announced the conclusion of a seven-hour operation early Wednesday morning. The command stated that, during that operation, dozens of military targets near the Strait of Hormuz and along Iran’s southern coast were struck. American fighter jets, drones, and naval vessels used precision-guided munitions to target the Islamic Republic’s missile and drone sites, coastal defense systems, and maritime assets.
Simultaneously, CENTCOM published a message from Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command. He accused the Islamic Republic of “deliberately targeting civilians” and claimed that Iranian forces had attacked seven commercial ships over the previous seven days. According to Cooper, these attacks resulted in approximately 12 civilian crew members being killed, wounded, or reported missing.
