US forces announced having launched new attacks against targets of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Iran, in response to Tehran's attacks on merchant ships in the Strait of Hormuz and on American military personnel deployed in the region. According to the US military command, the operation targeted equipment that was being prepared to launch missiles loaded with naval mines in the Strait. Iranian state television reported that several explosions were heard in southern Iran, namely in the vicinity of the port city of Bandar Abbas and the island of Qeshm, adjacent to the Strait of Hormuz.
The new bombings come two days after Washington carried out the first attacks on Iranian territory in about a month, hitting launch platforms on Larak Island. Iran responded with missile and drone attacks against American targets in Jordan and the United Arab Emirates. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian stated that Tehran does not intend to prolong the war, while US President Donald Trump promised to respond "with force" to Iranian reprisals, although he indicated that he does not intend, for now, to resume large-scale military operations.
In parallel with the military pressure, the US government announced a new sanctions campaign aimed at weakening Iran's economy. The speaker of the Iranian parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, threatened "a military response" if US forces intensify the naval blockade of Iranian ports, noting that a naval blockade is considered a military action under International Law. Ghalibaf also called on Iranians to exercise restraint in fuel consumption as a way to cope with the scarcity faced by the population.
