The US has continued its large-scale strikes against Iran and set a condition for their cessation
US Central Command (CENTCOM) has announced the completion of another round of strikes against Iran. According to the command, the attack ended at 22:00 on 14 July US Eastern Time, which corresponds to 05:00 on 15 July Kyiv time.
According to CENTCOM, over the course of seven hours, US fighter jets, drones and ships, using precision-guided munitions, struck dozens of military targets near the Strait of Hormuz and in coastal areas of Iran. The targets hit included Iranian missile and drone sites, naval assets and coastal defence systems.
US Central Command stated that as a result of these strikes, Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and civilian crews has been further reduced. It was also noted that the operation took place against the backdrop of US forces re-imposing a naval blockade on Iran.
CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper stated that over the past seven days, Iran had attacked seven merchant vessels, resulting in nearly ten civilian crew members being killed, missing or injured. According to him, the Iranian military also launched dozens of missiles and drones towards neighbouring countries in the Persian Gulf.
US President Donald Trump said in an interview with Fox News that he considered the main objectives of the American operation to have been achieved. At the same time, he emphasised that the United States would continue to carry out strikes until Iran agreed to return to the negotiating table.
“We will strike them today, tomorrow, the day after tomorrow and next week. The condition for stopping the strikes is Tehran’s return to the negotiating table,” said Trump.
The US President also stated that the strikes could be intensified in the coming days.
“Next week will be a very bad week for them, because next week we’ll be targeting power stations and bridges. We will take out all their power stations; we will take out all their bridges if they do not come to the negotiating table,” Trump said.
