The head of US Central Command (CENTCOM), Admiral Brad Cooper, said on Tuesday night that Iran intentionally attacked seven commercial ships over the past seven days, resulting in “nearly a dozen" civilian crew members being killed, injured or going missing.
“Iranian forces have also launched dozens of missiles and drones toward neighboring Gulf countries," Cooper said in a statement posted on social media.
He stressed that “US forces are holding Iran accountable for unwarranted aggression that continues to endanger innocent lives."
Earlier on Tuesday, CENTCOM confirmed that its forces have begun launching an additional round of strikes against Iran to continue degrading Iranian capabilities used to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
CENTCOM noted that strikes are taking place as American forces prepare to resume the naval blockade against Iranian ports and coastal areas.
At 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time (11:00 p.m. Israel time), CENTCOM officially announced that "US forces resumed the naval blockade against vessels transiting to and from Iranian ports and coastal areas."
It added, "There are currently more than 20 US Navy warships and hundreds of military aircraft operating across the Middle East. American forces remain vigilant, lethal, and ready."
Iranian state media reported strikes on Qeshm Island, as well as sounds of explosions in Ahvaz and Bandar Abbas.
The strikes and blockade came hours after US President Donald Trump announced that the Strait of Hormuz is open to international shipping but that a full blockade will be imposed on vessels connected to Iranian ports or Iranian cargo.
Speaking to Fox News after the start of the US strikes, Trump warned that the strikes on Iran will increase and target key infrastructure unless the Iranians engage in serious negotiations for a deal.
"We're going to hit them very hard tonight, we're going to hit them very hard tomorrow night, we're going to hit them very hard the night after, and then next week it gets really bad for them because next week comes the power plants, next week comes the bridges," said Trump.
“We're going to knock out all their power plants, we're going to knock out all their bridges unless they get to the table and negotiate," he added.
Trump stressed that the strikes on Iran will “continue until I say it's enough…the word the military likes to use is degrade. They've been degraded to a very low level."