US Central Command (CENTCOM) on Wednesday evening announced that its forces have begun launching strikes against Iranian targets.
The confirmation came after explosions were heard in Iran. The explosions were reported in Bandar Abbas, in Chabahar and on Kharg Island, among other places.
“At the direction of the Commander in Chief, US Central Command forces have started conducting additional strikes against Iran to further degrade their ability to threaten freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz," said CENTCOM.
“The United States is holding Iran accountable for recent unjustified aggression against commercial shipping and civilian crews freely navigating a vital international waterway," it added.
An Israeli official told Al-Arabiya that the US had notified Israel it would carry out powerful strikes in Iran.
Following the US strikes, an Iranian military source told the Nournews agency, "We will soon launch a massive attack against US military bases in the region."
Mohsen Rezaee, an advisor to Iran's Supreme Leader, issued a direct threat toward the United States and its regional allies following the US strikes in Iran.
In a brief post on social media, Rezaee wrote, "The aggressive enemy and its partners will be severely punished."
US President Donald Trump commented on the strikes in Iran in a post on his Truth Social platform.
"This is in retribution for yesterday’s bombing of ships by Iran. If it happens again, it will get much worse!" he wrote.
Meanwhile, a US official told CNN that the ceasefire with Iran “has at least temporarily ceased".
The official added that the situation with Iran continues to be very dynamic and there could be more strikes beyond what was announced. The US military is in a wait-and-see mode, the official stated, adding that the targets of the latest strikes were missiles and drones, that could be used against US assets, like aircraft carriers.
The US strikes came hours after Trump lashed out at Iran, describing its leadership as “scum", and said that it was likely the US would launch strikes against it once again.
Wednesday’s strikes came one night after CENTCOM struck over 80 targets in Iran hit with precision munitions “as an immediate response to Iran's latest attacks on commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz."