The US military announced early Thursday the completion of its latest round of strikes against Iran, confirming that it targeted numerous Revolutionary Guard positions.
According to a statement from US Central Command (CENTCOM), the missions were successfully executed at 10 pm Eastern Time on July 29, in response to attempted missile attacks against US forces the previous day.
The statement indicated that the US targeted several Revolutionary Guard sites within Iran, including military command centers, missile and drone installations, and coastal defense and naval capabilities.
The goal of these strikes is to further mitigate threats posed by Iran and its proxies against US forces, commercial navigation, and neighboring Gulf states.
It was noted that on July 28, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard launched multiple ballistic missiles from Iranian territory in an attempted surprise attack on US forces stationed in the Middle East. All Iranian missiles were intercepted successfully.
CENTCOM concluded its statement by emphasizing that over 50,000 US troops are currently deployed in the Middle East, ready and vigilant, possessing lethal combat capabilities.
Earlier, on Wednesday night-Thursday, the US military had announced the initiation of new air raids on Iran, as reported by CENTCOM.
These raids began around 8:00 pm Eastern Time on Wednesday (midnight Thursday GMT), intended as a strong response to attempted Iranian attacks on US forces in the region earlier this week.
Iranian media reported hearing explosions at various sites in the south, notably on Qeshm Island and in Bushehr, Abadan, and Ahvaz.
The strikes mark the first American operations inside Iran since President Donald Trump paused a bombing campaign to facilitate renewed negotiations last Friday.
The strikes were in response to an Iranian missile attack on a US military base in Jordan the day before. As noted by the US military, all missiles were successfully intercepted.
President Trump had warned of "totally crushing Iran" after it targeted US forces in Jordan following a pause in aerial assaults. Trump told reporters at the White House, "It's our turn." He stated that while Washington is open to a deal with Iran someday, it will "hit them hard and crush them completely."
On Tuesday, Iran confirmed that it had fired on US bases in Jordan and on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump had abruptly halted an intensive bombing campaign on Iran after 13 days, based on military advice that goals had been achieved. This month's hostilities resumed after a temporary US-Iran agreement, made in June, collapsed over disputes regarding the Strait of Hormuz, the world's most crucial energy passageway. Iran claims control over the strait and aims to impose transit fees, which Washington and the international community oppose.