The US twice struck Iran’s coastal defenses and missile sites within a few hours on Wednesday after reimposing a naval blockade of its ports, while Iran threatened to shut off more regional energy exports, saying it was engaged in an “existential war” with America.
Hostilities between the two nations have once again intensified since Iran said late on Saturday it had closed the Strait of Hormuz.
Military operations are also keeping ships from transiting the vital artery, which carried about a fifth of global oil and gas shipments before the war.
Two waves of attacks
US Central Command said the military had attacked coastal defense systems and cruise missile storage and launch sites on Iran’s Greater Tunb Island starting around 6am EDT (11am BST), and had completed the wave of strikes within around 90 minutes. Nine hours later, Central Command reported a second wave of strikes.
