Military officials said that the strikes
targeted missile sites near a major Iranian port that threatened U.S. ships and
planes.
·
U.S.
Central Command confirmed that American forces carried out “self-defense
strikes” in southern Iran on Monday.
·
The
strikes targeted:
o Missile launch sites
o Iranian boats allegedly attempting to
place naval mines
·
According
to U.S. officials, the operations were intended to protect American military
personnel and naval assets in the region.
·
A
senior U.S. military official said strikes occurred near Bandar Abbas, Iran’s
major naval base and strategic port on the Strait of Hormuz.
·
The
U.S. claimed Iranian surface-to-air missile systems had threatened:
o American warplanes
o Nearly two dozen U.S. Navy warships
o Two aircraft carriers and their escort
vessels
·
These
forces are currently enforcing a blockade around Iranian ports.
·
The
strikes occurred roughly six weeks after a cease-fire took effect between the
United States, Israel, and Iran.
·
The
military action came as Iranian negotiators arrived in Qatar for talks aimed at
ending the broader conflict.
·
Analysts
fear the strikes could undermine ongoing negotiations and delay any reopening
of the Strait of Hormuz.
·
Before
the conflict, the Strait carried about one-fifth of the world’s oil supply.
·
President
Donald Trump recently indicated that a potential agreement with Iran could
reopen the waterway and ease global energy disruptions.
·
However,
continuing military clashes have increased uncertainty over the prospects for
stable maritime operations.
·
Confidential
U.S. intelligence assessments reportedly conclude that Iran has regained access
to:
o Most missile sites
o Underground launch facilities
o Mobile missile launchers
·
Iran
is believed to have restored operational access to 30 out of 33 missile sites
along the Strait of Hormuz.
·
These
sites could threaten:
o Oil tankers
o Commercial shipping
o U.S. and allied naval forces
·
Although
much of Iran’s conventional navy has reportedly been destroyed, the Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) still possesses:
o Hundreds of small speedboats
o Mine-laying capabilities
o Mobile missile launch
systems
·
U.S.
assessments estimate Iran still retains:
o Around 70% of its mobile launchers
o Roughly 70% of its prewar missile
stockpile
·
The
remaining arsenal includes:
o Ballistic missiles
o Cruise missiles
·
Senior
U.S. military officials reportedly warned about low American stockpiles of:
o Long-range missiles
o Heavy bunker-busting ordnance
·
Instead
of fully destroying Iranian underground facilities, the Pentagon reportedly
used lighter munitions to block entrances.
·
Iranian
forces are believed to have restored some facilities faster than anticipated.
·
Since
April 13, U.S. naval forces have enforced a blockade targeting vessels linked
to Iranian ports.
·
According
to Central Command:
o 100 ships were redirected
o 4 vessels were disabled
o 26 humanitarian aid ships were permitted
to pass
·
Continued
clashes increase risks of:
o Further disruptions in global oil supply
o Delays in reopening the Strait of Hormuz
o Higher shipping and insurance costs
o Prolonged instability in energy markets
·
The
situation highlights the fragile balance between military deterrence and
diplomatic efforts in the Gulf region.
[ABS News Service/26.05.2026]
American
military forces conducted what U.S. Central Command said were “self-defense strikes” in southern Iran on Monday “to protect
our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces.”
The
targets included missile launch sites and Iranian boats trying to place mines, Capt.
Tim Hawkins, a Central Command spokesman, said in a statement.
“U.S.
Central Command continues to defend our forces while using restraint during the
ongoing cease-fire,” said Captain Hawkins, who declined to say which ships came
under fire, where they were located or precisely where the other U.S. strikes took
place.
A
senior U.S. military official said Iranian surface-to-air missiles threatened some
of the dozens of American warplanes and nearly two dozen Navy warships — including
two aircraft carriers and their escort vessels — that are in or around the Gulf
of Oman and Arabian Sea enforcing a blockade against vessels trying to enter or
leave Iranian ports. The official added that the U.S. strikes hit near Bandar Abbas,
a major port and Iranian navy base.
American
and Iranian forces have had other skirmishes since a cease-fire took effect about
six weeks ago. But the strikes on Monday came as Iranian negotiators arrived in
Qatar for talks on ending the war, and they threatened to upend a fragile potential
agreement that President Trump has said could reopen the Strait of Hormuz and relieve
the greatest energy disruption in modern times.
That
Iranian missile batteries were reportedly zeroing in on U.S. Navy ships came as
no surprise, despite repeated assertions from Mr. Trump, Defense
Secretary Pete Hegseth and other military leaders that the 38-day American-Israeli
military campaign had vastly degraded or destroyed much of Iran’s combat power.
U.S.
intelligence agencies have told policymakers in confidential assessments from early
this month that Iran has regained access to most of its missile sites, launchers
and underground facilities. While the United States has sunk most of Iran’s conventional
navy, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps still retains hundreds of small
speedboats that can be used to lay mines in the strait.
Most
alarming to some senior officials is evidence that Iran has restored operational
access to 30 of the 33 missile sites it maintains along the Strait of Hormuz, which
could threaten American warships and oil tankers transiting the narrow waterway.
People
briefed on the assessments said they show — to varying degrees, depending on the
level of damage incurred at the different sites — that the Iranians can use mobile
launchers that are inside the sites to move missiles to other locations. In some
cases, Iran can launch missiles directly from launchpads that are part of the facilities.
Senior
U.S. military officials have also privately raised alarm about critically low American
stockpiles of long-range missiles and other heavy ordnance — the very weapons needed
to destroy Iran’s hardened underground missile sites. Instead of pursuing full destruction,
the Pentagon opted for lighter munitions intended to seal off the entrances to those
sites, the officials said, and the Iranians have been more adept at digging them
out than the Pentagon anticipated.
Iran
still fields about 70 percent of its mobile launchers across the country and has
retained roughly 70 percent of its prewar missile stockpile, according to the assessments.
That stockpile encompasses both ballistic missiles, which can target other nations
in the region, and a smaller supply of cruise missiles, which can be used against
shorter-range targets on land or at sea.
As
recently as late last week, before Mr. Trump announced that the United States and
Iran were close to an agreement, American military planners were poised to resume
an intensive bombing campaign along the Strait of Hormuz, including the missile
sites, to loosen Iran’s hold on the waterway, which carried roughly a fifth of the
world’s daily oil supply before the war.
And
nearly two dozen Navy warships and scores of U.S. attack planes in and around the
Arabian Sea have enforced a blockade of Iranian ports, redirecting 100 vessels,
disabling four and allowing 26 humanitarian aid ships to pass since the blockade
took effect on April 13, Central Command said on Saturday.